


Plus One

by jackandsamforever



Category: The Blacklist (TV)
Genre: F/M, fulfills tumblr prompt: Red sees Liz's thigh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-08
Updated: 2014-08-22
Packaged: 2018-01-15 00:28:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 36,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1284433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jackandsamforever/pseuds/jackandsamforever
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Liz asks Red to pose as her fiance at a friends wedding. She never could have anticipated what would happen next.  Also fulfills tumblr prompt: Red sees Liz's thigh.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So I have marriage on my mind because my brother got married today, and as a result, my muse was begging me to write this..so here I am again with a new fic. This will also fulfill the tumblr prompt: Red sees Liz's thigh.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to the Blacklist.
> 
> Set any time after Tom is out of the picture.

"Liz, come on, you have to come! Can't you just tell your boss you have to go out of town for the weekend or something?" Liz's best friend, Jennifer Iverson said over the phone, her voice sounding tinny.

Liz stood up from her chair in her office to close the door, sticking her phone in-between her cheek and her shoulder as she walked, then sighed, "Jen, you know I can't just leave at a moment's notice. I know I promised you months ago that I would come, but a lot of things have happened since then. There isn't any way my boss would let me just leave; we're in the middle of a case." She sat back down in her chair heavily, feeling guilty for reneging on her promise. She had planned on asking Cooper for this weekend off, but completely forgot about it until now.

"I get that you have a hard ass boss, but this is really important to me Liz. Joe and I have been engaged for so long that I didn't think we'd ever get married, and now that we're actually going through with it, you can't even come. You're my maid of honor, what am I supposed to do?" Her voice was near hysterical.

Liz picked up a pen and toyed with it with her fingers, "I'm sorry, Jen, but I really don't know what to tell you. I just hope you can forgive me."

"You're my best friend, of course I can forgive you, but I'm still really upset. Remember when we were little girls and we promised to be at each others weddings? Well that's obviously not going to happen now." She sounded even more upset than before.

Liz threw the pen down on the desk and let out an exasperated breath, "Oh, come on Jen, that's not fair. I would come if I could."

"Yeah, well it doesn't feel like you're trying very hard. Look, we'll talk later, I have to go. Bye."

"Wait, Jen-" She was cut off by the "end call" beep on her cell.

Liz set the phone down on her desk and closed her eyes. She wished that she could go more than anything, but they were in the middle of another blacklist case, and there wasn't a chance that Cooper would let her go, even if it was just for a couple of days.

This was one of those times she felt like cursing Raymond Reddington for ever entering her life.

She leaned forward and put her head in her hands. She felt like crying. It wasn't fair that she was always stuck at work at the beck and call of Red and Cooper. She hadn't had a real day off in months and was exhausted. She'd been divorced for over a year now and she still wasn't used to sleeping alone, and as a result she never did get a good night's sleep; it was beginning to take its toll.

Her office door opened, but she didn't bother to look up; it was probably Ressler or Meera.

"Agent Keen, are you in the habit of sleeping when you're supposed to be working?" It was Cooper. Shit.

Liz shot up and smoothed her hair and clothes quickly, "I wasn't asleep, Sir, just thinking."

He walked in further and stood by Ressler's desk, "Well, you're going to be able to go home and sleep all you want now."

Liz narrowed her eyebrows, "Sir?"

"We caught our blacklister. He happened to walk right into a trap we set, and was easily caught soon after. That's the reason he was so low on Reddington's list; he's an idiot."

Liz gave him a tight smile, "In that case, Sir, I have a favor to ask."

Cooper raised his eyebrows in question, so she continued, "My best friend's getting married in North Carolina tomorrow and I'm supposed to be her maid of honor. Can I take Saturday and Sunday off and go?"

Cooper shrugged his shoulders, "As long as Reddington doesn't bring us another blacklister, I don't see a problem with it." He turned and began walking out of her office, then said over his shoulder, "Have fun, Keen."

"Thank you, Sir, see you Monday." The only sign that he'd heard her was a slight tilt of his head towards her as he walked out of her office and shut the door.

Liz smiled, she couldn't believe her luck. Now she had to call Jen back and hope that she answered her phone.

"Liz, I told you I don't have time to talk." She was definitely still upset.

"So guess who just got the entire weekend off and can come to your wedding now?"

Jen laughed, "Seriously? I thought you were in the middle of a case and couldn't get off?"

"Something unexpected happened, and now I'm free. Do you still want me to be your maid of honor?" Liz began putting things away in her drawers, attempting to tidy up her desk before she left.

"I'm so glad I don't have to find anyone else. You've always been the only one I ever wanted to be my maid of honor."

Liz smiled, "Well I'm glad I can come. I plan on driving down, so I should get there late tonight or early tomorrow morning. The wedding's at 11:00 right?" Finished with her desk, she stood up and began shrugging her red overcoat on.

"Yes, it's at 11:00. You still have the dress I sent you, right? Did it fit?"

Liz began walking out of her office, "It fit perfectly, everything is going to be perfect tomorrow." She locked her door, then waved at Aram as she made her way to the elevator.

Jen sighed happily, "I hope so." She paused, then continued, "Oh, who's going to be your plus one?"

Liz walked in the elevator and pushed the button for the parking garage, not seeing Red standing against the side. That was the worst thing about going to weddings without a significant other. People always asked what was going on in her dating life, or asked if they could set her up; it was awkward, and frankly it made it a lot less fun for her.

She glanced to her right and saw Red leaning against the side of the elevator in his gray suit with his arms crossed, and a smirk on his face. His amber-colored sunglasses and gray fedora were in place, but she could still read his expression just fine. "Just a second, Jen."

She pulled her phone down and whispered, "What are you doing here?"

He pushed away from the side of the elevator and stepped closer to her, "I came to see if I could take you out to dinner, Lizzy, to celebrate yet another blacklist capture." He pulled his sunglasses off and looked at her closely, "But obviously you're busy."

Liz bit her lip, thinking about asking him to do something that she wasn't entirely sure she wanted him to do. Their relationship was a bit complicated, and she didn't really know where she stood with him most of the time. They often went out to dinner and spent a lot of their downtime together, but nothing ever happened beyond that; they hadn't even kissed. She hated the constant mind games, and was close to giving up hope that something would ever happen between them.

She was desperate though, she really didn't want to be set up with Jen's crazy uncle's cousin or nephew. She could hear Jen talking over the phone, "Hello? Liz?"

Liz gave Red a small smile, then put her phone back to her ear, "Hey Jen, I'll call you back."

She heard Jen say a faint "Ok", before she ended the call and pushed the "STOP" button in the elevator, then turned back to Red.

He had his eyebrows raised and his head tilted slightly in question, "What is it, Lizzy?"

Liz winced and looked everywhere but at him, "Look Red, I have a huge favor to ask, and I'll understand if you don't want to do it."

He stepped closer, their bodies inches apart, "Come out with it sweetheart, I don't have all day."

She rolled her eyes but didn't step back, and said quickly, "Ineedyoutopretendtobemyfianceatmyfriendsweddingtomorrow."

He laughed out loud, his laugh warm and deep, "I'm sorry, I'm terribly hard of hearing and didn't understand a word you said." She knew damn well that he'd heard _and_ understood her, but she repeated it anyway, slower this time, "I need you to pretend to be my fiancé at my friend's wedding tomorrow."

He moved away and scratched his head with his free hand, not looking at her as he said, "Whatever for?"

"I'm the maid of honor at my best friend's wedding tomorrow, which by the way I didn't think I was going to be able to go to until just recently, and I don't want people trying to set me up on blind dates, or asking me why I'm single. It would just be easier to bring my "fiancé" so people won't bother me."

Red bit his lip, looking like he was actually considering her request. She didn't say anything as he remained silent for a few more moments.

Before she could process what he was doing, he moved towards her quickly and pushed her body against the side of the elevator. His mouth was on her neck in seconds, leaving hot, open-mouthed kisses as he worked his way up to her ear, then whispered, "If you want me to pretend to be engaged to you, you'll have to be convincing. Do you think you can accomplish that?" He began kissing the shell of her ear before moving his fingers along her collarbone and his mouth down her jaw. She was so lost in the sensation of his mouth on her skin, that she didn't even think to protest. All she could do was nod and whisper a weak, "Yes, I do."

He leaned back and looked at her, their mouths inches apart, his eyes serious, "Then prove it. I don't think you can play the part, because no offense, you're not a very good actress."

Liz shook her head to clear it, then shoved him back, "I don't have to prove anything, Red. If you agree to come, then I'll make sure and play my part. All I ask is that you play yours."

He smirked again, "Oh, Lizzy, that won't be a problem at all." He tilted his head again, then said, "I would love to come with you to the wedding. I didn't have much planned this weekend besides acupuncture, and that can wait."

She shook her head, not even going there with the acupuncture comment, but gave him faint smile, "I really do appreciate it. You'll be saving me from a lot of embarrassing and awkward moments over the next few days."

He slid his sunglasses back on and turned towards the front of the elevator, "Do push the resume button, Lizzy, I'm sure there are people wondering what's going on."

She reached out and slapped the button, not even annoyed with his deflection for once.

The elevator stopped at the parking garage and Liz hurried out, not waiting to see if he would follow. Of course he did, and as soon as she reached her silver Mercedes, she turned to him and said, "I plan on leaving in the next hour or so. It's about a four hour d-"

He cut her off, "Lizzy, we can take my jet, it would far more faster and less expensive for you."

She wanted to drive, it helped to calm her nerves and to focus her mind. "No, I want to drive. You know..it wouldn't kill you if you drove instead of flew."

He moved his mouth as if to say something, then closed it and pursed his lips, "Dembe and I will be-"

Liz cut him off this time, "No Dembe, just you and me. As much as I love the man, a bodyguard at a wedding would look out of place." She saw him open his mouth to argue, but she continued before he could, "Of course he can still come with us to North Carolina, but he has to get there on his own and be discreet."

He clenched his jaw, "Very well." He turned away, obviously annoyed with her, then said over his shoulder, "I'll be at your house in an hour, Lizzy, do try to be ready on time." Then he slid into the backseat of his black Mercedes and shut the door without another word.

She rolled her eyes and slid into her own car. He was going to test her limits this weekend, and she had to be at the top of her game.

She pulled out her phone and called Jen back, "Hey Liz, so what's going on?"

Liz winced, she had to lie to Jen about Red, but she didn't see any other way around it, "I'm bringing my fiancé to the wedding as my plus one. I just thought I would let you know." She braced herself for Jen's response.

"WHAT? You're engaged and you haven't even told me yet?!"

"It's...recent. I was planning on surprising you at the wedding. I'm sorry about not telling you sooner."

Jen laughed, "Don't apologize, I'm happy that you finally found someone. So tell me about him."

Liz smiled, "I'll tell you all about him tomorrow, I'm almost home now and need to pack."

Jen sighed dramatically, "Fineeee..I'll see you later tonight. I can't wait to meet this man of yours!"

They disconnected as Liz parked in front of her house. Things just became ten times more complicated, but in her mind, it was worth every potential complication.


	2. Chapter 2

"Lizzie, do try to watch where you're going, I would like to make it to the wedding alive and not in a body bag."

Liz rolled her eyes and passed another diesel that was moving slowly. "Red, I _am_ watching where I'm going. I'm a good driver." She glanced at him with a smirk, "I've never gotten a ticket or been arrested, so what now?"

She saw him grip the side of the door as she swerved around a slow moving cattle truck. "It just tells me that you've never been caught, and honestly, I don't know how you've gotten away with it over the years."

She smiled, but kept her eyes on the road, "I just know how to get out of tickets."

She saw him shake his head out of the corner of her eye, then turn and watch the landscape pass by through his amber-colored sunglasses.

They had left over two hours ago, and he still hadn't relaxed since she'd insisted that she be the one to drive. He was used to being in control, and he didn't like being at her mercy; it made her feel powerful, like she was actually dictating what happened between them for once.

She glanced at the clock and saw that it was almost 7:00 PM. She turned down the radio that was blaring some cheesy country song and said, "So I don't know about you, but I'm starving."

He turned to her, "You're driving has caused me to feel a little sick to my stomach." He ran a hand absent-mindedly over vest-clad stomach. She shook her head and punched his arm hard, "Red, stop being such a baby, seriously, if you're going to be like this all weekend we can just turn around and pretend that you came down with the flu"

He rubbed his arm where she punched it, a pained expression on his face, "Well it wouldn't be too much of a stretch. I already feel like I'm going to lose the contents of my stomach soon."

They passed a sign that indicated the next exit had places to eat. She wasn't going to starve just because he was being dramatic. She took the exit, then looked at Red as they stopped at a red light, "I'm going to eat, you can hold my food for me if you don't feel like getting anything."

He pursed his lips and nodded, not bothering to answer as she drove the car towards the closest fast-food place, which was a Chick-Fil-A. She quickly ordered her food, not bothering to ask Red if he wanted anything, then drove back on the main road with her food in one hand and with the other hand on the steering wheel. If it had been possible, he looked to be even more nervous than before. She wasn't used to this much expression from the normally stoic Red. She put her sandwich on her leg, then handed Red her waffle fries and said in a overly sweet mocking tone, "Hey, will you hold these for me?"

With a quiet sigh, he pinched the package with two fingers in disdain, and put it in between his thighs to hold it in place. She ate for the next ten minutes in blissful silence, too hungry to do anything but eat and drive. She reached for a french fry without glancing down, but instead accidentally grabbed a part of his trousers, and didn't come up with a waffle fry. She heard a quiet intake of breath, then he said in an overly smug voice, "Lizzie, sweetheart, we don't have to pretend to be engaged here. I don't think you're ready to deal with the consequences that might come about because of where your hand is now."

She swallowed and glanced down unwillingly, then quickly moved her hand and groaned. It had been over his crotch, and she was beyond embarrassed. "Red, "I'm so sorry, you...I...you know I didn't do that on purpose."

She saw him smile, then he turned up the radio, "How much longer do we have in this dreadfully cramped car? Honestly Lizzie, I would have never given you this car if I would have known that the leg room is non-existent."

She didn't answer him, still too embarrassed to look at him, let alone say anything. He looked at her, then reached his hand over and put it on the back of her neck. He squeezed it softly, then said in a low voice, "Don't be embarrassed, it was an accident and I'm certainly not going to hold it against you."

She cleared her throat and said quietly, "Thank you."

After that incident, her driving became noticeably less wild, and more under control. He didn't remove his hand from her neck, and quietly massaged her neck and shoulders for a while; it was beginning to make her drowsy. She placed a hand on his knee and glanced at him, "You're going to put me to sleep if you don't stop that. Thanks for helping me relax though, and to answer your question from earlier, we have about two hours left."

He removed his hand and leaned his elbow on the arm rest, "Do you need me to drive?"

She shook her head, immediately missing the warmth of his hand, "No, I'm fine actually, you were just relaxing me a little _too_ much."

He nodded and stretched out in his seat as much as possible, then leaned his chair back a little. "In that case, I'm going to try to rest." He grabbed his fedora from where it was lying on the backseat and put it on low over his face.

She changed the radio station to a soft rock station and settled back further into her seat. She was glad that Red hadn't made a big deal out of what happened, but the thought going through her mind at the moment was that she hadn't minded where her hand had been either; and that worried her.

OOOOOO

She drove into Raleigh, North Carolina exactly two hours later. She'd listened to Red snore quietly for the last hour, and found that she was glad that she had finally found something that he wasn't perfect at; even if it was breathing while he slept. That ridiculous thought caused her to laugh quietly, and his breathing changed immediately. She reached over and took the hat off of his face, "We're here, you might want to wake up."

He yawned and sat up slowly, his back making cracking noises, "I apologize, I didn't mean to sleep the entire way."

She shrugged, "It gave me time to think, so the quiet was kind of nice." She saw him narrow his eyes at her, but she continued before he could comment, "Will you grab the invitation out of the glove-box? I'm not sure what hotel we're staying in."

He reached forward and found the invitation quickly, then turned on the overhead light and squinted at the small lettering. She heard him mutter, "Damn small letters", then he pulled out some reading glasses out of his shirt pocket and began reading the invitation silently. They were stopped at a red light, and she found herself admiring the way he looked in glasses. He was too sexy for his own good, and he knew it too.

He glanced up and caught her staring, then smirked and said, "All the guests are staying at the _Umstead Hotel_ , which is also where the wedding is being held." He told her the address, which she put in her GPS at another red light, then they drove in silence toward the hotel; she was both dreading and looking forward to what was to come.

Fifteen minutes later she pulled into a parking space in front of a large hotel. She couldn't really make out the details because it was dark, but she could tell it was really nice. Red whistled quietly, "Wow, now this is my scene. This is going to be a gas."

She stepped out of the car without saying anything and opened the trunk. She was ready to check in and relax. She walked around the silver Mercedes and began taking her luggage out. Red stopped her with a hand on her shoulder, "I've got this...Oh, and before I forget, you need to put this on." He extended his other arm in front of her.

She glanced down and sucked in a breath. In-between his thumb and forefinger was a ring glinting in the overhead lights of the parking lot. She couldn't see the details, but she could tell it was expensive and absolutely perfect. She took it hesitantly, then looked up at him, "Red, this is too much. I can't-"

He cut her off, "Nonsense, Lizzie, you're supposed to be marrying me, so you need to have a ring. Try it on." He turned and began taking their luggage out of the trunk.

She slipped it on, and of course it was a perfect fit; as if he had just bought it for her. She didn't want to think about the implications of that.

She looked up and smiled at him, "It's perfect. Thank you." She reached up and ran a hand down his chest lightly, then grabbed a suitcase and began walking towards the front door. She heard him following her soon after, and stopped at the door to wait for him before going inside. He caught up, but she still avoided looking at him in the eye as they walked in together and to the front desk. She glanced around as they walked, and was completely blown away at the elegant decorations; it was nicer than any hotel or spa she had ever been in her life. They reached the front desk and were greeted by a stunning blonde woman who looked like she belonged on the cover of a magazine, and not working at a hotel. She smiled widely at them, her perfect, white teeth gleaming in the light, and said in a cheery voice, "Welcome to the Umstead Hotel & Spa, my name is Heidi, what can I do for you tonight?"

Liz smiled, trying not to feel completely intimidated by the woman's looks, "We're here for the Iverson/Ward wedding."

Heidi began typing on the computer in front of her, then looked up and smiled again, "Of course. All of the guests for that wedding are staying on the third floor, and it looks like you guys are the last to arrive."

Heidi looked at Red, and smiled even wider with a look of curiosity on her face, "Will you two be staying in the same room, or do we need to find another room?"

Red snaked an arm around Liz's waist and pulled her against him, "We'll be staying in the same room. She's my fiance." Liz tried not to wince or pull away as he moved his hand up her side, finally stopping near her breast.

Heidi nodded, "Of course, Sir. I'm required to ask, we can't ever assume anything."

Red nodded as Heidi began typing on her computer again. Red began toying with the side band of her bra with his fingers over her shirt, and she elbowed him discreetly to get him to stop. She heard him huff an amused laugh before he pulled away and leaned against the desk casually.

A few moments later, Heidi handed him two key cards and said, "You're all set, your room number is 337. If you have any questions, feel free to call the front desk. Do you need someone to carry your luggage?"

Liz shook her head, "We can handle it, thanks."

"Very well, have a good night and I hope you both enjoy your stay at the Umstead Hotel & Spa."

Liz gave her a closed mouth smile and said, "Thanks", then followed Red as he began walking towards the bank of gold-colored elevators. As she walked, she stared at her reflection in the gleaming floor. She thought she looked drawn and tired, and felt embarrassed that she looked like that in front of "Perfect" Heidi. Red already had the call button pushed by the time she reached him, and he glanced at her with furrowed eyebrows, "What's wrong, Lizzie?"

She clenched her jaw and shook her head, "Nothing, I'm just tired." She could tell that he didn't believe her, but he didn't have a chance to question her further as she pulled out her phone to call Jen, and dialed her number as they stepped in the elevator. There was no one else in there, so they stood in the middle as Red pushed the floor number. Jen picked up after the fourth ring, "Liz, are you guys here yet?"

Liz smiled and said, "We just got here. We're actually on our way up to the third floor right now."

She heard an excited squeal, "I'll meet you there now. Bye!"

She stuck her phone back in her pocket and smiled at the look on Red's face; he looked a little worried. "Is there anything that I should be aware of about this Jen woman?"

Liz laughed lightly, "She's a little eccentric, but harmless, just go with the flow." She reached forward and fixed his crooked tie and locked eyes with him, "Thanks again for coming with me, Red."

He tilted his head slightly and opened his mouth to say something, but the elevator doors slid open and a screaming woman came running through and essentially tackle-hugged her. "Liz! It's been way too long since we've seen each other. I can't believe you're here!"

Liz laughed and hugged her back, "I can't believe it either. I'm so glad I got the time off." She glanced around the elevator, "This is worth it."

Jen stepped back and looked at Red for the first time. She looked him up and down, as if she was sizing him up, then said to Liz, "And who's this?"

Liz stepped up to Red and wrapped her hand around his elbow, "This is my fiance, Raymond Reddington." She looked at Red, "Ray, this is my childhood and current best friend, Jennifer Iverson."

Red smiled and held his hand out to Jen, "It's nice to finally meet you, Jen. Lizzy here has told me a lot of stories about you two." He was oozing charm, and she could tell Jen was already being swayed by it. Jen shook his hand and smiled, "It's nice to meet you too. Liz didn't even tell me she was seeing anyone, then suddenly she's engaged. You must move fast."

Red moved his arm out of Liz's grasp and put it around her shoulders, "Oh, we've known each other for a while, but I finally convinced her to marry me." He leaned over and kissed her temple softly, then pulled back and smiled at Jen.

Jen looked at Liz, "You'll have to tell me all about it later, but I think we need to move out of the elevator now, we're holding it up." Red released her, then they both picked up their luggage and followed Jen out of the elevator and onto the third floor. Jen turned and looked at Liz, "So I made sure your guys' room is next to mine so you won't have to wander the hallway going from room to room after we talk late into the night."

That was the last thing Liz wanted, because Jen could possibly overhear anything she and Red might say to each other. Liz pasted on a smile, hoping it looked convincing, "Oh, that's a great idea. Thank you."

They reached their room and Jen turned to them, "Well, I'm going to go finish some last-minute wedding preparations and let you two get settled." She glanced at Liz, "Come knock on my door when you're ready to talk." She smiled and opened her own door, then walked inside.

Liz let out the breath she'd been holding, then turned to Red and whispered, "I'm so sorry. I didn't know we'd be right next to her."

Red shook his head and said in a low voice, "Why don't we take this conversation inside." He stepped forward and slid the card in, then opened the door for her to walk in. She grabbed her luggage, then stepped inside and set her things down on the floor by the bed and glanced around the room. The room was large, with a dark brown and tan color scheme. The California King bed in the middle of the room had a white bedspread with brown trim around the edges and fluffy brown pillows accenting it. There was a couch and two chairs next to the bed, with tan drapes hanging in front of the large window; she loved it already.

She turned to see Red loosening his tie and unbuttoning his vest. He looked tired and ready for bed. She glanced at the clock that was sitting on the bedside table and saw that it was nearing 10:00 PM. She felt ready for bed herself, but knew Jen wanted to talk to her. She moved closer to him so she could speak quietly, "I can take the couch, and you can have the bed. I know your b-"

He stopped her with a hand on her arm, "Nonsense, sweetheart, we're both adults. What if your friend let herself in and saw that we weren't sleeping together? The bed is large, we probably won't even _see_ each other, let alone touch each other." He stepped closer, then leaned down and whispered in her ear, "Although, I wouldn't object to any kind of touching."

She laughed quietly, then pushed him back a little, "If you're sure, then I don't have a problem with it."

He shook his head, "You smell nice by the way, new perfume?" He took a step back and slid off his vest and tie, then began unbuttoning his dress shirt; she couldn't tear her eyes away as each button revealed more and more skin.

She was startled from her thoughts by his quiet, rumbly laugh, "Lizzie, did you hear me?"

Liz blinked and looked up sheepishly, "I didn't, sorry, what did you say?"

He smirked with a knowing look, "I asked if you're going to shower now, or can I go ahead and use it?"

"Oh, you can go use it. I'm going to go talk to Jen for a few minutes while you're in there." She wanted to talk to Jen mostly so she could distract herself from thinking about Red in the shower.

He nodded and she watched as he walked over to his luggage and pulled out clothes to sleep in. His dress shirt was completely unbuttoned, and all she could look at was the tantalizing glimpses of skin every so often; it was entirely too distracting. She turned and walked out the door quickly before she did something that she might regret later, then knocked on Jen's door.

Jen answered quickly and grabbed Liz's arm, then pulled her inside and shut the door behind her.

She led Liz over to the couch and sat down next to her. The look on her face was curious as she said, "So, um..while I think Ray is super handsome, isn't he a little old for you?"

Liz laughed out loud, the first time she'd laughed like that in months, "He might be, but I love him. Isn't that all that matters?"

Jen smiled, "Yeah, true. Joe's nine years older than me, and I thought that was pushing it. How much older is he than you?"

Liz sat back on the couch, suddenly tired. She didn't want to talk about Red's age, or anything else really, she just wanted to sleep. "He's quite a bit older, I'm not telling you the exact number, but like I said before, it doesn't matter to me. He treats me right and adores me..what else could I possibly ask for?"

Jen smiled and leaned her back against the arm rest, "You're right. Age shouldn't matter, and boy is he charming. Is he like that all the time?"

Liz nodded, "All the time, and I don't think he was even trying with you. He's hard to resist."

Jen laughed, "I can certainly see the appeal." She sighed, "Those long golden eyelashes, the sideburns, the way his trousers fit him in all the right places..mmm..definitely can see why you like him."

Liz slapped Jen's knee softly and said teasingly, "Hey, you're getting married tomorrow. Stop ogling my man."

Jen held up her hands in surrender and smiled mischievously, "Hey, I can look, just not touch." She reached towards Liz's left hand and said, "Let me see your ring."

Liz held her hand close to Jen's face so she could look at it. "Wow, he must be loaded. This is beautiful...and huge."

Liz smiled and looked at the ring closely for the first time. It really was huge, but she loved it. It had one large princess cut diamond in the center, then multiple small diamonds on either side of the large diamond; it really was something that she would choose for herself. Liz smiled, "Thank you. He knows me well."

Liz already felt lighter and worry-free; she'd needed this talk with Jen more than she'd realized.

They talked for another hour about anything and everything, but towards the end Liz was yawning more than she was talking. Jen patted her arm, "Why don't you go to bed. We can talk more sometime tomorrow."

Liz nodded and stood up, "Sounds good. I can't wait to see you finally tie the knot." She pulled Jen into a tight hug for a few seconds, then pulled back and smiled. "I'll see you tomorrow at 10:00 AM sharp so we can go over everything for the wedding."

Jen nodded, "Ok, have a good night. Remember I'm right next to you..so please try to keep anything you do quiet."

Liz smiled and shook her head, "I don't think you'll have to worry about that tonight. He's probably already asleep."

"Good. I need a good nights sleep." She smiled at Liz teasingly.

Liz bade her goodnight again, then made her way over to her own room. She walked into the dark room quietly, and saw Red's silhouette on the bed highlighted by the moonlight that was streaming through the window from the open drapes. She stopped and listened, hearing his soft snoring once again, and smiled. It really was endearing in a strange way.

She found her suitcase quickly, then walked into the bathroom and got ready for bed; she would shower tomorrow morning. After she finished, she walked out of the bathroom and over to the bed. Red was laying dead-center on it, but she didn't have the heart to wake him up, so she crawled under the blankets and turned on her side away from him. She took a deep, calming breath and smelled Red's familiar aftershave. If anyone ever asked her what her three favorite smells were in the world, she'd say: Red's aftershave, Red's cologne, and rain. She wasn't sure what that said about her, but she didn't want to examine it closer for fear of what she might find out.

She closed her eyes and relaxed. She could think about her feelings for Red later, right now she needed to sleep because she had to get up in seven hours for a wedding; and pretend to be engaged to someone she already had feelings for. Oh boy.

That's when Red put his arm around her and pulled her flush against him, then began placing light kisses on the back of her neck while his hand moved under the waistband of her shorts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow..All your responses to the first chapter absolutely blew me away. You guys are all so awesome.. I love my Lizzington family *group hug*. I hope this second chapter didn't disappoint. I have to set up the story, so you'll have to bear with me through some boring stuff. Thanks soooo much for all the reviews/follows/favorites..they truly mean so much to me. And please, by all means, let me know what you think. Feedback is so important. Have a good day! :)


	3. Chapter 3

"Red! What the hell are you doing?" Liz whispered as she stopped the downward progress of his hand with her own over her shorts, then held it there while he continued to kiss her neck. With his lips against her skin he mumbled,"Mmm..Lizzie, what does it look like I'm doing?"

She turned over to face him with furrowed eyebrows, not believing how forward he was being after months of hardly any affection towards her. She squinted at his face in the dark and saw that his eyes were closed; he was asleep. The hand that she had previously stopped, resumed moving over her body, cupping her ass under her shorts, and then moving up her back lightly. She had to wake him up, even if she was enjoying what he was doing.

She reached her hand up and shook his shoulder, "Red, wake up." His hand didn't stop as it began moving around to her stomach.

She shook his shoulder a little harder and said, "Raymond." The damned hand was close to reaching her breasts; desperate measures had to be taken.

Liz grabbed his face with both of her hands, then leaned forward and kissed him, sliding her lips over his insistently until he began to respond, then she started pulling at the little hairs at the nape of his neck with her fingers to wake him up. After a moment, he pulled away and said in confusion, "Lizzie, as much as I'm enjoying this, what are you doing?"

She slid away from him quickly, his hand sliding down her stomach under her shirt and to the bed; she needed space from his growing arousal. "You were groping me in your sleep. I didn't know what else to do."

He blinked slowly, still half asleep and said, "I apologize. I was having the best dream; it's not often that I have good dreams." She could guess what he was dreaming about, and blushed, glad that it was dark so he couldn't see it.

She cleared her throat uncomfortably, "Well, now that you're awake, I'm going to try to sleep. Good night, Red."

He put his hand on her shoulder, "Lizzie." His voice was low and apologetic.

She ignored him and hugged a pillow to her body. She breathed in and out deeply to calm her racing heart, then listened to Red as he sighed he turned away from her. She felt bad for ignoring him, but their relationship was in limbo, and she didn't feel comfortable doing anything with him until they talked about where things were going between them.

Liz closed her eyes and tried to clear her mind, but all she could think about was how good it had felt to have Red's hands on her. She wanted him, badly, but didn't know what to do about it.

OOOOOO

The alarm on her phone woke her up from a deep, peaceful sleep, beeping loudly throughout the quiet hotel room. She opened her eyes and groaned, then reached a hand back to turn it off. She kept hitting the bed and not the nightstand where her phone was, and couldn't understand why. She began to turn around and realized that she was cuddled up against Red's back. Great. She turned all the way over and found that she was clear across the bed on his side. It was such a huge bed that it took her a few seconds before she reached the alarm and turned it off. She sat up slowly and stretched her hands over her head. It was 8:00 AM, but she still felt tired and more than a little embarrassed at waking up spooning with Red after she had gotten mad at him for doing essentially the same thing.

She turned her head towards him and saw that he was watching her with a small smile on his face. He still looked tired and sleep tousled; which was something that she hadn't seen with him. He was usually impeccably dressed and alert in his surroundings. She stood up and faced him, then gave him a closed mouth smile, "Morning."

He put an arm under his head and nodded, "Good morning, how did you sleep, sweetheart?"

She immediately blushed, and heard him chuckle softly, "Lizzie, I am sorry for doing what I did, but you have to know that I thought it was a dream."

She nodded, "I'm not going to hold it against you, Red...Well, as long as you don't hold against me for kissing you and cuddling up to you this morning." She smiled good-naturedly, then watched as he did the same. She walked around the bed and to her suitcase to gather some clothes to put on after her shower; she wouldn't put her dress on until she needed to.

She looked at him momentarily, and he gestured with his hand for her to come towards him. She approached him warily as he patted the bed next to his hip. "Red, I need to-"

He cut her off, "Lizzie, just sit down for a moment. This won't take long."

She sat down against his hip and saw that his white undershirt had ridden up a little, showing some short blonde hairs running from his belly button, so she pulled it down then looked at him, "What?"

He reached forward and ran his hand down her arm softly, then said quietly, "I think we have some things we need to discuss. Not here, but when we arrive home; I'm positive that things can't continue as they have."

Was he saying what it sounded like? She swallowed noisily and nodded, "I agree, I've wanted to talk to you for a long time now."

He rose his eyebrows in surprise as she stood up and began walking towards the bathroom, "I'm going to take a shower, you might want to start getting ready." Then closed the door behind her; not waiting for a response. She was afraid the look on his face would be rejection, so she didn't dare look at him; she didn't think she could handle it.

OOOOOO

After getting out of the shower and dressing in a pair of yoga pants and a button-up shirt, she began to get ready for the wedding. Just as she finished with her makeup, there was a knock on the door, "Lizzie, I need to shave, can I come in?"

"Yeah, it's fine."

He walked in carrying a black bag, wearing black dress pants with a white undershirt tucked in; she had to physically remind herself not to stare. He walked over to the other sink and began pulling items out that he needed to shave with. She kept catching herself staring at him, and met his eyes more than once in the mirror. He didn't seem to mind her watching him, so she didn't attempt to hide her curiosity any longer as he began shaving with a blade, and not one of those disposable razors that men usually used.

He ran the blade over his cheek, then put it in the sink to rinse it off and looked at her, "Lizzie, we need to leave soon. I suggest you finish getting ready."

She winced, embarrassed, and turned away to concentrate on herself. He was right, she didn't have time to watch him shave; as fascinating as it was.

She didn't look at him again as he finished up and walked over to her. He put a hand on her back, then leaned down and put his lips on her ear, "Don't be mistaken, Lizzie, I enjoy you watching me, it's incredibly alluring." Then he turned and walked out without another word.

She took a steadying breath, feeling heady from his proximity, then turned to finish getting ready. She didn't have time to ruminate on the feelings he elicited from her.

OOOOOO

She finished up in the bathroom, then walked into the bedroom to see him lounging on the couch with his iPad in his hands. He had a white dress shirt on, with black suspenders and an ice blue tie; the color of her dress. How he had known what color to wear, she could only guess, but was glad that they were going to match. He glanced up and said, "It's 9:45, do you need me to help you with your dress?"

She had planned on asking Jen, but Red would be a better option. She nodded, "Yes, if you don't mind."

He tossed the tablet on the couch and stood up, then approached her as she walked over to the closet and pulled the dress out of its bag. She held it up to admire it for a moment. It was ice-blue, with one silver beaded strap that went over her shoulder. It was floor-length, with a small train in the back and a slit up to her mid-thigh. She loved the intricate silver bead work that ran from the strap down to her waist. It really brought out the design of the dress, and she couldn't wait to wear it because she felt beautiful in it; not many dresses accomplished that.

With her back to Red, she slipped off her pants and shirt, then pulled the dress up over her breasts and held an arm across them as she walked back over him. The look on his face was neutral, but she'd caught something else before his mask had slid over his face. She turned her back to him and said over her shoulder, "Will you zip me up, please?"

She felt his hands ghost down her back to where the zipper started below her tailbone. He slowly began zipping it up, running his fingers up her back ahead of the zipper. The zipper ended just below her shoulder blades, so when he finished, he stepped close to her and kissed one shoulder softly, then said in a quiet voice, "This dress looks stunning on you from behind, I can only imagine how it'll look from the front." She could feel the warmth of his body radiating into her back as he continued to stand close.

She took a step forward then turned around and watched him take in her appearance. He shook his head, his eyes betraying his desire as he said, "Wow, absolutely beautiful. That color is perfect on you, Lizzie."

She smiled, "Thank you, but we don't have time to keep staring at each other, it's probably past 10:00 now." He glanced at his watch and took a step closer, a predatory gleam in his eyes, then said in a low voice, "We have a few minutes."

She held her hands up to halt his advance and sat on the bed to slip her silver beaded sandals on, then stood up and put her necklace and bracelet on. He had stood there and watched her finish getting ready with a neutral expression, but she could see something else in his expression that she couldn't quite identify.

She quickly glanced at herself in the mirror, and loved what she saw; that hardly ever happened to her.

Liz turned to him and said, "Are you ready to go?"

He nodded and picked up his suit jacket from the bed and slipped it on. She walked over and fixed the silk ice-blue handkerchief in his suit pocket, then smiled at him, "You look handsome yourself, Red."

He nodded and held his arm out for her to take. She took it, and he led her out of their room and towards the garden where the wedding would be held.

OOOOOO

For the next thirty minutes, the wedding planner explained to Liz and the other bridesmaids what they needed to do and where they needed to stand. It was pretty straight forward, as Liz had been to a lot of weddings, so she wasn't worried.

Red was sitting at one of the tables in the reception area with a drink in one hand and his legs crossed; the picture of calm and collected. The planner told Liz to be back in fifteen mintues, so she made her way over to Red and smiled, "Isn't it a little early to be drinking?"

He smirked and finished the last of his drink, "It's a wedding, Lizzie, what else is there to do?"

She huffed a laugh and sat down in the chair next to him, not noticing that her thigh nearest to him was peeking through the slit in her dress. Before she could say anything else, she felt his hand on her upper thigh. She looked at him with narrowed eyes and opened her mouth to tell him to move it, but he spoke up before she could, leaning close and squeezing her leg, "Oh Lizzie, such a tease aren't we? That slit in your dress is going to be the death of me."

She looked down and watched as he ran his hand slowly down her thigh. It felt like every nerve in her body was alive and begging her to do something about all the unresolved sexual tension coursing through her body.

"Who's the one being the tease? If you keep on touching me like that, maybe you'll learn something about me that you never thought you'd find out."

He smiled fully, a teasing glint in his eye, "Is that a promise?"

She put her hand over his that was still on her leg, and squeezed it, "Could be."

Their faces were close, and all she could focus on were the odd color of his eyes; not quite blue, but not green either.

Just as he leaned forward to kiss her, the wedding planner interrupted them in a frantic voice, "Liz, it's time to get in place. Hurry, hurry, we don't want to hold up the wedding." Then she turned away and left them alone again.

They didn't move, their faces inches apart, as Liz smiled at him and said quietly, "I guess I better go."

He ran his hand back up her thigh, this time with hers on top of his, then stopped at the top and said quietly, "I guess you should."

She was reluctant to move, but could hear the wedding planner hustling the other girls to their spots, and knew she would be next. She leaned forward and kissed his jaw softly, then said close to his ear, "You might want to make your way over too." She stood up and walked away before she did something else that they weren't ready for. She felt off-balance and aroused, and was amazed at how Raymond Reddington could elicit that kind of response from her just by touching her leg.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really didn't plan on getting this out tonight, because I literally have to get up for work in 3 hours, but I needed to write this out so I wouldn't be bothered by it all day at work. Pray for me, I'm going to need a lot of caffeine..haha. Thanks SO much for all the wonderful reviews, I'm absolutely blown away by the response to this fic. I really hope this isn't a let down compared to the other 2 chapters. I would love to know what you think..thanks for reading. :)
> 
> I put the links to what I picture her dress and engagement ring to look like on my ff.net profile. I know I didn't do a very good job describing her dress, so I felt like I needed to show you what I meant..ha.


	4. Chapter 4

Liz walked into the hotel and over to the room where everyone was supposed to wait for the start of the wedding. She waved at a couple of the bridesmaids that were standing off to the side, then walked over to Jen, who was standing in the corner by herself in her wedding dress. Liz could tell that she was nervous and tense; she put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close.

"Hey, are you ready?"

Jen turned her head and looked at Liz with fear in her eyes and said quietly, "I don't know, Liz. I don't think I can go through with this. What if we get married, then I hate him in two years? At least if we weren't married we wouldn't have to hire lawyers and get a divorce."

Liz gave her a small smile and shook her head, "Jen, calm down; you've been looking forward to this day for a long time. Just remember why you agreed to marry him in the first place. You love him right?" At Jen's nod, Liz continued, "So don't think about anything else besides him and how much you love him; nothing else matters."

Jen sucked in a deep breath, then blew it out slowly and smiled, "You're right. I don't know why I'm second guessing everything. He makes me happy, and like you said last night about Raymond, that's what matters the most."

Liz smiled and squeezed her shoulder once more, then pulled her arm back and said, "You can call him Ray by the way; he's not a big fan of Raymond."

Jen nodded, "Speaking of getting married, have you two set a date?"

"Oh, um..we just got engaged, we haven't had much time to discuss it." Liz hoped she sounded convincing.

"Well my advice is don't wait too long. You never know when something might happen, so enjoy life and get married."

Liz nodded, "You're right, we need to sit down and talk about it; I'd rather not wait anyway." In her mind, all she could think about was the fact that Red could just disappear one day without a trace, or turn up dead. It was painful to even think about, let alone if it actually happened. She was way too attached to him, and that scared her more than anything.

She needed to change the subject..quickly. "So what are we waiting for? It has to be past eleven."

Jen shrugged and opened her mouth to say something, when the wedding planner ran in, looking frazzled and half-mad, while waving her arms. "Places people, places. All of the guests have arrived and are waiting for the ceremony to start. Bridesmaids, you're going to be escorted by a groomsman, so please find the person you were assigned to and get in line. Does anyone have any questions?"

No one said anything, so she nodded and waved the first group to go through the door that led outside. Liz took the elbow of the groomsman she was assigned to, a nice-looking young man who didn't look to be over twenty, and walked outside when it was their turn. As they walked towards the "Aisle", Liz admired her surroundings. The weather was perfect; not even a small breeze could be felt, and the sun was shining brightly with little wisps of clouds floating lazily across the blue sky. The gardens were in full bloom, with blues, reds, greens, and yellows popping up everywhere.

As they approached the wedding area, she saw that the chairs were filled up with all kinds of different people from all walks of life. Liz pasted on a smile as they walked down the aisle, smiling at random strangers and people that she knew. She received more than a few looks from men that made her decidedly uncomfortable, and was extremely glad that she brought Red to help fight off their advances. They made it to the end of the aisle, and Liz let go of her escort's elbow then took her place to the right of the groom, who looked to be terrified himself. She hadn't been able to find Red while walking, and wondered if he had decided to skip out on the actual ceremony; she wouldn't blame him really. She looked to her right, then smiled when she finally spotted him sitting a few rows back on the end with his legs crossed and his amber-colored sunglasses in place. There was a small smile on his face, and she moved her fingers that were at her side in a little wave. He nodded at her, then made a show of raking his eyes over her body; starting at her feet and ending on her face. He rose his eyebrows suggestively, which caused her to blush, then gave her a closed mouth smile and mouthed, "Later", as the music started playing and the bride began walking down the aisle escorted by her dad.

Liz spent the rest of the ceremony doing her best to avoid looking in Red's direction, but every so often she glanced at him from the corner of her eye; she noticed that he didn't ever look away from her. She was so focused on him, that she didn't remember anything about the vows or the ring exchange, so when she heard, "I know pronounce you husband and wife", she quickly turned her attention back to the happy couple. Liz smiled, happy for her friend, but mad at herself for not paying attention to Jen's important moment.

She followed Jen and Joe as they made their way over to the area where the guests would greet them, holding her train and her flowers. As they reached the area, Jen turned to Liz with a smile, "Thanks so much for your help, and thank you for coming; it means a lot to me." Liz smiled, "I'm glad I could come too." She pulled her into a quick hug, then they moved into a line as the guests began making their way over to the couple.

For the next thirty minutes, she greeted everyone with a smile and a handshake, wondering what Red was up to. She craned her neck to look down the line and saw him standing there with his hands in his pockets chatting with a bronzed-skinned woman with dark hair. The woman kept leaning in his space while touching his arm; and the green-eyed monster rose up in Liz like a tidal wave. Technically she didn't have any claim to Red, but since they were here and supposedly "Engaged", she felt like she could be possessive. She knew he would tease her about it, but at the moment all she could think about was getting that woman away from him.

They slowly moved towards Liz, and she could hear little snippets of their conversation. The woman asked what he was planning on doing after the reception right as they reached Liz. Liz grabbed his hand and pulled him into a hug, saying loud enough so the woman could hear, "Honey, thanks for coming to the wedding with me. I know you didn't want to come." She ran her fingers over his scalp and down to his neck, then scratched his nape with her fingernails lightly. She turned her head and kissed his cheek, as he whispered in her ear, "Are you jealous, Lizzie?" He huffed a laugh in her ear, his warm breath giving her goosebumps, "I didn't think you had it in you, but this is helping our cover tremendously; well done."

She pulled back from him slightly with an entirely fake smile on her face, then kissed him softly; their mouths opening to taste each other while he ran his hands down her sides and stopped at her waist. She heard someone clear her throat after a minute, and pulled away from him with a genuine smile.

Liz smoothed his lapels down, then glanced at the woman for the first time. She looked a little surprised, but mostly upset that she wouldn't be going anywhere with Red after the reception. Liz rose her eyebrows at her in question, and the woman shook her head in disgust, then walked away without another word to Red.

Red squeezed her sides lightly, then leaned back towards her ear and said in a low voice, "I'll see you soon. Don't have too much fun without me." Before leaving he gave her another kiss, his lips warm and soft, then turned to Jen and congratulated her and continued down the line without looking back at Liz. She tried to pretend that she wasn't affected by his kiss, but if anyone had paid close attention to her, they would have been able to tell that she was most definitely not at the top of her game.

OOOOOO

After all the guests were greeted and on their way to the reception area, the wedding party took pictures for the next twenty minutes. Liz enjoyed it, but was ready to be done so she could find Red. They stood and waited for the photographer to finish up, then Jen turned to all of them and said, "We're finished taking pictures, so if you would, please make your way over to the reception and enjoy the rest of your time. Thanks for all of your help, I love you all."

Liz walked over and gave her another quick hug, then turned and made her way over to the reception. She found Red quickly, and sat down in the chair next to him with a small smile. He moved his chair closer to her, then put his hand on her arm and trailed it down to her hand and laced their fingers together. She moved closer to him, then said, "So what have you been up to?"

He bit the corner of his lip, "Oh nothing really, mostly fending off the advances of more women. Honestly, they just won't leave me alone."

Liz rolled her eyes, "Right. I'm sure they're just throwing themselves at you. Is that what that woman in the line did too?'

He huffed a small laugh, "Your lips are so soft, Lizzie, I must know how you make them that way."

She smiled and leaned close to him, then said in a teasing voice, "I could tell you, but I could also put some on my own lips and have you kiss it off."

He looked at her with narrowed eyes, then cupped her jaw with his hand and pulled her down to kiss him. Just as their lips touched, the crowd around them began to applaud. Liz sighed and pulled away reluctantly, then turned to see that Jen and Joe were walking up to the head table. She untangled their hands and stood up to clap with the rest of the group as the couple sat down to eat something before continuing with other events.

She sat back down next to Red and groaned, "My feet are killing me. I thought these would be comfortable, but they aren't."

"I'd gladly give you a body rub later." His tone was entirely too suggestive.

She turned to him with a surprised expression, then saw the teasing glint in his eye, and slapped him lightly on the chest, "You're so funny. What if I had actually said yes?"

He pursed his lips and tilted his head, "Then I would gladly do it. I don't say things just to say them, Lizzie."

She rose her eyebrows in disbelief and said sarcastically, "Since when?"

He laughed quietly, "Are you hungry? I can go get something for you since your feet hurt."

She nodded, "Yes, I'm starving. I would really appreciate it; plus it would "Help with our cover", as you say." He nodded and patted her leg, using it for leverage to help him stand up, then kissed her cheek before walking towards the buffet.

Liz relaxed further in her chair, then reached her hand forward and picked up Red's champagne glass and took a long drink. Just as she set it back down, she felt a presence behind her and quickly sat up and turned her head. It was one of the groomsmen. He smiled and said, "Hi, I'm Steven." Then glanced behind him nervously and back to her, "So um...will you dance with me?"

Liz looked past him and saw that people were beginning to dance, then looked back up at him. He looked so pathetic, with his unruly brown hair and crooked bow-tie, that she was hard-pressed to find a reason to turn him down.

"Oh, um..sure. Just one though, I'm really hungry."

Steven grinned broadly, "Sure, thank you!" Then he grabbed her hand and pulled her up roughly, dragging her by her hand halfway across the lawn to the dancing area. The song that was playing was a slow one, much to Liz's chagrin, so Steven put his hands on her waist and began moving clumsily to the music. She put her hands on his shoulders lightly and tried to keep their bodies far away. As they continued to dance, he repeatedly stepped on her toes, which made her wince and almost cry out several times. Steven seemed oblivious though, as he continually tried to pull her closer, and moved his hands even lower on her waist. He didn't try to talk to her, which she thought was odd, but was glad for it because she probably didn't have much in common with him anyway.

He moved his hands farther around her body, his fingers brushing her ass. She opened her mouth to tell him to move his hands, but Red interrupted her in a low voice filled with contempt, "Excuse me, but your hands are nowhere near where they should be, especially since it's my fiance that you're fondling; I suggest you leave before something unpleasant happens." A look of fear came over Steven's face, and he quickly let go of Liz and hurried off into the crowd without a word.

She heaved a relieved sigh, "Thank you. I was about to punch the guy."

Red stepped closer and held out his hand, "Will you dance with me?"

She nodded and took his hand, then let him pull her close as they swayed to the music; their bodies and faces touching as they moved together as one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the kudos and comments. I appreciate them so much. I think this has one or two chapters left if you guys are still enjoying it after reading this chapter. Please let me know..and maybe we'll see some more lovin' (or that "body rub") between these two. Have a great day and thanks for reading. :)
> 
> P.S. It's my 27th birthday on Saturday, I need some cheering up because I'm almost 30. *Cries*


	5. Chapter 5

Liz sat next to Red at their table and watched as the happy couple danced their first dance. They both had wide smiles on their faces, and Liz could hear Jen laugh every so often as Joe spun her around playfully. Liz felt a pang of loneliness, knowing that she most likely wouldn't get to experience something like this herself again in her lifetime; it was a bitter pill to swallow. She glanced away from her friend and began toying with the fake engagement ring on her finger, and found herself wishing, despite herself, that it was real; her growing feelings for Red were confusing, but there was no denying that she was falling in love with him, and had been for quite some time.

Red's hand covered hers as he leaned in and whispered close to her ear, "What's wrong, Lizzie?"

She stared straight ahead, willing the tears that were pooling in her eyes to go away, and shook her head. He squeezed her hand and moved even closer, "Lizzie, talk to me."

She heaved a sigh and pulled her hand back, then stood up and said over her shoulder, "I need some fresh air, I'll be back." Then walked away quickly, temporarily forgetting about how much her feet hurt. She quickly made her way out of the large canopy tent that the reception was being held in, and walked aimlessly across the grounds. She kept expecting to hear footsteps approach from behind her, but they never came; she was both disappointed and relieved.

Liz walked through a grove of trees and ended up standing at the edge of a large pond. She stared across the slightly rippling surface and smiled when some swans landed and began lazily swimming around looking for something to eat. She spotted a bench to the side and made her way over to it, then sat down. She sat there for some time, thinking about nothing and everything. She knew there wasn't anything she could realistically do about Red, but she liked to imagine herself declaring her love for him and him sweeping her up in his arms and taking her to his bed; it was a nice fantasy, but that's all it was.

One of the swans swam close to her and looked at her for a moment before dipping its beak into the water and coming up with a bug in its mouth. The wind began to pick up and she was feeling decidedly cold; but she didn't know if the cold was coming from her heart, or if it was actually the wind. She shivered and ran her hands up and down her arms, trying to warm herself up; it was probably time to go back anyway.

Just as she began to sit up, a warm jacket slid over her shoulders, then his voice washed over her like a cleansing rain, "Lizzie, I've been searching for you everywhere; I was about to call search and rescue, thank heavens for Dembe." He sat down next to her, close but not too close.

She looked at him with eyebrows raised in surprise, "Dembe's here?"

He nodded and put his arm across the back of the bench, but avoided touching her as he said, "He's been here all along, he just knows how to hide in broad daylight."

She "hmmd", but didn't say anything more as they sat in a loaded silence. She pulled his suit jacket tightly around herself, inhaling the scent that was uniquely him. She looked at him from the corner of her eye and saw that he was staring out at the water with a faraway expression on his face; she would kill to hear what he was thinking.

She moved her body a little closer to him and sat back against his arm that was still across the top, then let out a sigh. She wished things could stay as they were right at this moment; no confusing relationship, no talking, just _being_ with each other. He moved his arm around her shoulders and pulled her tightly against him, then said quietly, "Lizzie, as much as I'd like people to think so, I'm not a mind reader. What's bothering you?"

She leaned her head against his shoulder and stayed silent; she didn't know how to even begin to tell him what was troubling her. He moved the hand that was around her shoulders to her hair and began toying with it. She could feel his warm breath on the top of her head as he put his face in her hair and breathed her in, then eventually said, "I'm not going to beg you to tell me, so I'm not going to bring it up again until you're ready to talk. Does that sound agreeable?"

She nodded against his shoulder and said, "Yes, thank you. I don't know how to even begin to talk about it when it's so jumbled up in my head, so let me think on it overnight, then I'll try to explain tomorrow."

He pulled his arm back from her shoulders then stood up and held his hand out for her to take. She didn't want to go back, but she needed to quit being selfish; this was Jen's day after all. She took it and let him lead her back towards the reception. As they walked in a comfortable silence with their fingers laced together she said, "What time is it, Red?"

He brought his arm up and looked at his watch, "It's almost three. What time is the reception supposed to end?"

She grimaced, "It's supposed to end at three, I hope they haven't left yet."

He picked up his pace and they reached the canopy just in time to see Jen and Joe walk out hand in hand with big smiles on their faces. Liz let go of Red's hand, then slipped his jacket off and handed it back to him before approaching the couple.

"Liz, where did you go? I've been looking for you." Liz reached her, then hugged her tightly.

"I wasn't feeling well, but I'm ok now. I'm just happy I made it back before you left."

Jen smiled, "Me too." Before Liz could reply, the crowd began moving towards the parking lot where Jen and Joe's car was waiting. Jen smiled and shrugged, then took Joe's hand and walked with the rest of the crowd towards the car. Red and Liz followed behind slowly, then watched as flower petals were thrown at them as they ran the last few steps towards the open door. Liz laughed softly as Joe scooped Jen up bridal-style, then kissed her soundly before dropping her to her feet and helping her inside. The crowd cheered and whooped as the car began to pull away, and Liz couldn't keep the smile off of her face. She was a sucker for happy endings; maybe it was because she rarely saw it in her line of work or her personal life.

She looked at Red, standing there with his hands in his pockets, and saw that he had that faraway look on his face again. She nudged him with her elbow, "Penny for your thoughts?"

He worked his jaw for a moment, his eyes hard and serious, then said quietly, "Are you hungry? I'm starving."

She sighed internally at his subject change, but let it go since he had lent her the same courtesy earlier. She shook her head in amusement, "How could you be hungry? You ate non-stop at the reception."

He pursed his lips, "Well, what else is there to do but eat and drink? I can always eat, Lizzie."

She stepped closer to him and ran her fingers over his chest lightly, then said in a teasing voice, "There's a hot tub in our room. We could always test that out."

He visibly swallowed, then said in a suggestive voice, "I think that sounds divine. My knees have been aching all day." She hadn't expected him to agree, and regretted making the suggestion immediately. Red in nothing but shorts, all wet and glistening, was the last thing her already confused mind needed.

She smiled and shook her head, "Nah, I was kidding, let's go eat instead. I didn't get a chance to eat much."

He grabbed her hand, then said as they began walking back towards the hotel, "It's too late to change your mind, sorry." He didn't sound sorry at all.

She tried to think of an excuse to get out of it the entire way back to their room, then finally thought of one in the elevator, "Red, I don't have my suit, so I'm not going to be able to join you. I think I'll take a nap instead."

He huffed a laugh and crowded into her personal space, their bodies inches apart as he said, "What's the matter, Lizzie, are you afraid of me?"

She shook her head and forced a laugh, "Of course not, I'm just...tired."

"Right. Well you can wear your bra and panties, because I certainly won't object and no one else will be around to see. I do hope you decide to join me, but if you don't, then that's your prerogative."

The elevator opened and he turned and walked out without waiting for her. She caught up to him as he opened the door, then let her go in front of him. She made her way inside the room, then walked over to her suitcase and found some clothes that she could sleep in. Red passed by her and walked out to the private deck where the hot tub was at. She heard it turn on, then he walked back inside and said, "Do you need help with the zipper on your dress?" He had his emotionless mask on, and she hated that she was the reason that it was there.

She nodded and turned around. He stepped closer and quickly unzipped her dress, then moved away again. Unlike last time, there were no lingering touches or kisses; he was obviously upset.

She carried her clothes in the bathroom in one hand while keeping the other arm across the top of the dress to keep it up, then closed the door behind her and leaned against it.

She took a deep breath, then after a moment she stepped forward and changed quickly into some new underwear, soft cotton pants, and a lime-green tank top. She listened for movement on the other side of the door, but it was silent. She opened the door and walked out, then looked around for him; he wasn't there. She made her way over to the closet and hung her dress up next to Red's recently hung suit. She ran her fingers over the still warm material of his suit coat, and sighed. She wished she could just be open with him, but she couldn't predict how he would react, and that thought was terrifying.

She walked over over to the bed and laid down and stretched her limbs out. It felt good, and the cool sheets were soothing. She turned over and hugged a stray pillow to her body, and immediately recognized the smell of Red's aftershave on it. It was his pillow, but she found that she didn't want to find another one; he smelt like home, and it was comforting.

She closed her eyes and tried to relax, but all she could think about was the fleeting look of disappointment that had been in his eyes when she told him no. She pushed that thought away, but it was replaced by the sound of Red moving around in the hot tub outside. That led to other thoughts that she would rather not have with him sitting thirty feet away from her. She turned on her back and stared at the ceiling; suddenly wide awake.

_"Screw it"_ , she thought. She slid out of the bed and quickly took off her pants and tank top, leaving her in her lacy black bra and panties. She walked determinedly to the sliding glass door of the deck and opened it, then peeked her head out and saw Red sitting in the hot tub with his sunglasses on and his head leaned back against one of the head rests. He appeared to not have heard her, so she stepped out and closed the door silently behind her and approached the stairs leading to the tub.

She walked slowly up the steps and stood on the edge, waiting for him to acknowledge her. When he didn't, she sat down on the edge and stuck her legs in. The swirling, hot water already helped her feel better, so she slid all the way in and audibly sighed. Red seemed to finally hear her and lifted his head, then smiled at her mischievously, "Lizzie, so nice of you to join me, the water helps the aching muscles tremendously. I feel better than I have in months."

She gave him a closed mouth smile and nodded, "Well...good." She didn't know what else to say, and he wasn't offering up any conversation topics.

He huffed a quiet laugh then said, "Why are you all the way over there?"

She shrugged, not sure if she wanted to play with the fire that was Raymond Reddington, but found that she didn't care anymore if she was confused; she knew that she wanted him and that had to be enough. If he chose to rebuke her, then so be it. She realized then that she was the one that was going to dictate what happened next in their relationship. He wasn't going to force himself where he wasn't wanted, and he most likely didn't realize how deep her feelings for him ran.

She moved over and sat next to him, their bodies not touching, but inches apart. He reached up and took his sunglasses off, then folded them and put them on the side of the tub. His arms were spread out along the back on either side of him, and she stared at his bare biceps, fascinated by the tattoos that she saw there. As she continued to study them, he moved the arm that was behind her to her back, then began rubbing small circles over her shoulder blades. After a few moments, he moved his hand up and lightly pulled at her bra strap, "Black huh? I guess it's better than white."

She opened her mouth to protest, but saw the teasing glint in his eyes and smiled, "Yeah, white wouldn't be very appropriate in a hot tub."

He smirked and tugged at the strap again, "Oh, I don't know about that; I certainly wouldn't object."

Red moved the strap over slightly and continued massaging her shoulders. She rolled her head back and forth, thoroughly enjoying his able hands on her bare skin. He continued to inch the straps further and further down her shoulders until they were around her biceps; and she found that she didn't care. He moved closer, then pulled her body shoulder to thigh with his, as his hand began to roam farther south. She decided to take a chance, she was tired of being cautious and waiting for him to make his move. Liz moved her leg over his lap and straddled him, then brought her lips within inches of his. He rose in eyebrows in surprise, but quickly recovered and held her in place with his hands on the underside of her thighs near her behind. "Lizzie-" He said in a low voice.

She shut him up as she leaned forward and kissed his jaw, while slowly rocking her hips. He groaned and tightened his hands on her thighs, but did nothing else as she began to lazily place hot open-mouth kisses on his neck and jaw while occasionally scraping her teeth over his skin. She could feel his growing arousal, but chose to pretend that she didn't notice.

He moved his hands to the top of her thighs, then ran them over her panties and up her torso. Her abs clenched at the contact, but she continued to move her mouth closer and closer to his own. He reached around to her back and unhooked her bra, then tried to pull it off, but she didn't allow him to as she moved her arms around his neck and finally found his lips. Their lips moved together passionately as he continued to let his hands wander where no one besides Tom had touched her in years. He slid his tongue in her mouth and moved it with hers, then pulled back and nipped at her lip, then went back to exploring every inch of her mouth. They continued that way until she started to feel a little overheated, then pulled back and rested her forehead against his; their breaths mingling in the steamy air. She felt her bra straps floating behind her, but didn't bother to cover herself back up. She knew that if he looked down he would get an eyeful, but she was beyond caring at this point. He moved his fingers under the waistband of her underwear, but she reached down and stopped his downward progress.

"Red", she said breathlessly, "We need to talk."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know..another cliff hanger. "What a surprise!" You say. But hey..I gotta keep you guys coming back to read more. Thank you guys so, so, so much for all the kind reviews and kudos, I really appreciate each and every one of them. Are you guys still liking this, or are you ready for it to end next chapter? Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much for reading. :)


	6. Chapter 6

His hands trailed down to her thighs as she sat up a little further in his lap and looked at him with an apologetic expression.

"Lizzie, I'm failing to see the problem here."

She heaved a sigh and tried to slide off of him, but his hands held her legs firmly. "Red, I..I'm..oh hell", she leaned in and put her head on his shoulder. She didn't know how to begin the conversation that could potentially ruin everything. He squeezed her thighs lightly once more, then reached around her and hooked her bra straps back together; he kept his arms around her back and pulled her tightly against him. She sniffed, but still didn't say anything. She felt defeated.

After a few moments, she opened her mouth to say something when they both heard loud knocking coming from their hotel room door. She mumbled against his neck, "What the hell?"

Red shrugged and began running his fingers up and down her bare back lightly, "Just ignore it, they'll go away."

The knocking continued for a few minutes, and when they didn't answer they heard a voice that caused both of them to groan at the same time; it was Jen's crazy Uncle Jay. They heard his voice as it carried clearly through the hotel door, the room, and the sliding glass door, "I know you guys are in there. We're all going out ta have dinner ta celebrate the weddin' and want you ta come. Y'all like family Liz."

She sat up reluctantly and rolled her eyes, "Is he serious?"

Red huffed a quiet laugh, "Sounds like it. You better go answer before he knocks the door down and finds us in this entirely compromising position." He smiled lasciviously at her, but she could see trepidation in his eyes; probably stemming from her hesitance to talk to him about what was bothering her.

She leaned down and kissed him, putting into her kiss what she couldn't or wouldn't say with words. The knocking persisted though, so she pulled back and slid from his lap without looking him in the eye. As she got out and started to descend the stairs, she turned back to him, "Are you coming?"

He grimaced, "I'll be there momentarily." The look he was giving her clearly conveyed the reason he couldn't follow her, and she couldn't hold back the blush that rose over her cheeks as she walked inside.

"Lizzzz, I'm about ta get the manager or somethin' ta let me in. I know y'all are in there."

She grabbed one of the hotel's white fluffy robes, wrapped it around herself and opened the door before Jay could make an even bigger ass of himself. She pasted on a fake smile, "Hey Jay, I'm not feeling too well, go on ahead without us."

Jay gave her a wide grin, showing off his missing incisor as he said, "Nonsense, I insist you come, my wife is dying to talk with your fiancé. We need a chance ta interrogate him for ya too."

Liz cringed internally at the thought of Jay having any kind of conversation with Red; Red would eat him alive. She shook her head, "Really Jay, we're not-"

Jay's voice took on a whining tone as he said, "Liz, I've known ya since you were knee-high to a grasshopper. We haven't seen ya for years, all I'm askin' for is one dinner to catch up."

She closed her eyes momentarily, then said in defeat, "Ok, ok, fine I'll let Ray know. Are we just eating in the restaurant downstairs?"

Jay smiled again and pulled her in a crushing hug, "Yes, downstairs in a half hour. I can't wait!" He let her go then turned and walked down the hall quickly. His suit pants were too large for him and hung down his ass comically. She knew that Jen was embarrassed about Jay, but he was family, and there wasn't anything to be done about it.

She closed the door slowly, then turned to see Red pick up a towel from the table and bend over to dry off his dripping shorts; he was getting water all over the carpet. "Red, you're getting everything wet. You need to take those shorts off."

He stopped while still bent over, and all she could see was the top of his head and the water on his back shining from the light coming from the sliding glass door. He slowly righted himself with a look on his face that she could only describe as comically surprised and devilish at the same time, "Are you suggesting I remove them now...in front of you?"

Liz coughed involuntarily, angry at herself for walking right into that. She to a step closer and said sarcastically, "I don't know Red, what do you think?"

He tilted his head, then while still looking at her, moved his hands to begin untying the drawstring of his shorts. He wasn't a shy person, and she knew he would do it if she didn't put a stop to it. She was frozen in place, torn between wanting to stop him and wanting to see if he would shed them right in front of her. He finished with the string, then put his hands on the waistband and began to tug them down slowly while still staring at her with an inscrutable expression; this moment seemed important to their relationship for a reason that Liz couldn't quite pinpoint.

Just as the shorts traveled low enough to begin to show things that she didn't think she'd ever see of Red's in her lifetime, the damn phone began to ring. It scared her so bad that she literally jumped up and down and let out a little scream. She had been so focused on what Red had been doing that she'd been lost in her own little world. She put a hand to her racing heart and saw Red smirk as he pulled his shorts back up and walked to his suitcase as if she'd confirmed something for him with his little test; she began to swear internally at whoever was on the other end of the phone.

Liz walked over to it and answered with an annoyed, "Hello?"

"Liz! I just wanted ta let ya know that we're all already down here waitin' on ya." Of course it was Jay. This was the second time in a matter of minutes that he effectively cock-blocked anything she and Red might have done.

She took a calming breath and said through gritted teeth, "We'll be down there as soon as possible. Thanks for letting me know Jay." Then she hung up without giving him a chance to answer; she felt angry and more than a little cheated.

She turned to Red as he finished up at his suitcase, "Jay wants us to go down and have dinner with his family, is that ok?" She avoided looking at him directly.

"I don't think we have much choice in the matter, Lizzie, the man effectively ordered us to come down. Like I told you before, I can always eat, so I don't have a problem with it." He didn't know Jay like she did.

"Ok, well they're ready for us, so go do what you need to do." He nodded, then as he passed her reached out and squeezed her shoulder lightly before disappearing into the bathroom and closing the door. She heaved a deep sigh and began to get ready herself. She knew that she had to have that conversation with Red eventually, but it seemed like whatever higher power above refused to give her the chance. If she had to suffer through a meal with Jay just so she could talk with Red, then she would do it.

OOOOOO

Red and Liz walked in silence towards the elevator bank. She studied him out of the corner out her eye and admired how good he looked. He was dressed in his all grey three-piece suit; which was her favorite. She was dressed in a knee-length dark purple dress with black heels and her hair in an elegant twist in the back. She had noticed Red eying her appreciatively as they left the room, but she felt like they were on shaky ground and back to square one; losing all the closeness they'd gained on this trip.

As they rode down to the first floor in the elevator, Liz stepped closer to him and took his arm. He looked at her and gave her a small smile, then moved his opposite hand over and patted her hand. They still hadn't spoken a word to each other since leaving the room.

They walked in the restaurant and stood at the entrance looking for Jay. Just as she began to turn to ask the host where the Iverson family was sitting, they heard Jay's loud voice reverberate through the quiet restaurant, "Liz! Over here!" Liz wanted to put her head in her hands in embarrassment, but instead forced herself to look around and spot the table full of people standing and waving their arms.

She heard Red chuckle next to her, "Those people are absolutely ridiculous, but hilarious. This is going to be fun."

She shook her head and let him lead her towards the table. When they reached it, Jays' wife Becky, a short and overweight blond-haired woman, stood up and hugged Liz tightly then stepped back and said, "Thank you so much for coming to eat with us. I was so excited when Jay told me that you asked if you could join us."

Liz opened her mouth to correct her, but saw Red shake his head infinitesimally beside her, so she shut her mouth and said, "Oh you know, it's just been so long, I thought we needed to catch up." She turned to Red and said, "This is my fiance Raymond, you can call him Ray...Ray, this is Becky; she's Jen's aunt. Becky stepped forward and pulled Red in a tight hug as well, she saw him grimace, but he quickly masked it and said in a fake jovial tone, "It's nice to finally meet you." Becky stepped back and patted his cheeks, then turned to the table full of children and gestured to them, "These are our kids: Jack, Jon, Jim, Jesse, Jovee, and Jill." She leaned closer and said quietly, "We like "J" names obviously."

Red nodded and said, "Well it's a pleasure to meet all of you."

Jay stepped forward and clapped Red on the back, "I'm Jay, nice ta finally meet the man ta snag Liz; we was beginnin' ta think she was destined to be alone after Tom left."

Red narrowed his eyes and clenched his jaw; she knew he was on the verge of saying something to defend her that wouldn't be easily forgiven. She reached over and ran her hand over his lower back and smiled at Jay, "It hasn't been that long since Tom, Jay."

Jay moved his hand in a dismissive wave, "Still, you need a man in your life." Red visibly tensed beside her; it was kind of sweet that he felt like he needed to protect her.

She pulled Red against her and squeezed his side to let him know that he needed to calm down. She felt him take a deep breath as Liz said, "Well why don't we eat? I'm starving."

Jay nodded and shooed his wife back into the booth, then slid in after her. Liz saw that there was barely enough room for her and Red, but they would have to make it work. She slid in next to the youngest, Jovee, and smiled at her as Red sat down next to Liz; she could feel the tension rolling off him.

The waiter came over and took their drink orders, then said he would be back shortly. Jay smiled at Liz from across the table, "So how long have y'all been dating? I was surprised to hear you were engaged when I hadn't even heard you were dating anyone."

Red sat back and put his arm around her waist as Liz said, "Oh we've been friends for a few years, but only started dating a few months ago."

Becky whistled, "Wow, don't you think that's moving too fast?"

Liz shook her head, "We were already good friends before we started dating." She turned and looked at him with loving eyes, "And I love him, isn't that what matters?"

Jay snorted, "Yeah well love don't matter after a few years. He's so much older than ya that ya-"

Liz cut him off in anger, "No, don't go there." She finally felt the anger that Red was still obviously feeling.

Becky smiled, "Well it's something you have to think about, honey. When he's seventy, you're only going to be in your late forties. Is that something-"

Liz cut her off and stood up, "You know what? I think we're done here, I'm feeling too sick to eat. It was nice to see you guys again." She moved out of the way so Red could stand up, then grabbed him by his lapels and pulled him towards her and kissed him passionately. She pulled away after a few seconds then grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the restaurant without another word. She could hear Becky and Jay yelling for them to come back, but she ignored them as she marched towards the elevators with Red in tow. She jabbed the call button repeatedly, still in a huff, and when the doors opened she pulled him in and waited impatiently for the doors to close.

As soon as they closed, she pushed him against the wall, reminiscent of when he'd done that to her the day before. He raised a lazy eyebrow at her as she said close to his face, "You want to know what's been bothering me lately, and what I wanted to talk to you about in the hot tub?" He moved his arms and wrapped them around her lower back, pulling her body flush with his and nodded. Their lips were inches apart as she looked him in the eye and said, "I'm in love with you Raymond Reddington. I don't know when it happened, or how you wormed your way into my heart, but I choose you. I want to marry you, make love to you, travel the world with you, have children with you and be with only you. No more game playing, no more distance, and no more pushing each other away. Jen told me that life is too short to wait for things to happen, and I agree with her wholeheartedly; I'm tired of waiting.

She took a deep breath as he slowly reached over and pushed the stop button on the elevator, which seemed to take hours; she didn't dare look at him, scared that she'd just ruined everything.

He didn't say anything as she felt the elevator stop. She stood there and studied his vest, waiting for him to push her away and tell her that he didn't feel that way about her.

When he finally did speak, his voice was low and had a slight rasp to it, "Yes."

She furrowed her eyebrows and looked at him in confusion, "Yes, what?"

He gave her a small smile, "I believe you asked me to marry you, and I'm saying yes."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *whistles innocently while walking away* Sorry for the cliffie, but if you all want me to continue with this fic then I need to set up the next chapter. Does marriage sound completely ridiculous to you guys? I'd love to hear your thoughts (remember this is set a few years in the future). Thanks soooo much for all the love for this fic, it means the world to me. *hugs you all*


	7. Chapter 7

Liz looked up at him with wide eyes, surprise clearly written on her face. She opened and closed her mouth a few times, trying to come up with something intelligent to say. Red moved his hand up to cup her jaw softly and said, "But, I.."

She cut him off with an exasperated sigh and mumbled, "There's always a but." She tried to step away from him, but he wouldn't allow it as he tightened his arm around her lower back. "Red, let me go, I've already embarrassed myself enough today."

He gave her a small smile, "You need to let me finish, sweetheart." He shook his head, "Always so impatient." If his intention was to piss her off even more, he was doing a good job of it.

He moved his thumb to caress her cheek as he said, "As I was saying. I don't want you to say all the things you said just because of what happened at dinner, and are trying to prove a point to Jay or anyone else."

She shook her head and leaned in close to his ear, "But I'm not, I've been thinking-"

This time he cut her off, pulling her back so he could look at her, "Lizzie, I can tell you're still upset. Why don't we sleep on it and see how you feel in the morning?"

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. He hadn't told her that he loved her back, or anything beyond what sounded like rejection; maybe he was just letting her down gently.

Liz sighed and nodded, "Fine, if that's what you want." She tried to step back, and this time he allowed it. She moved over and pushed the resume button on the elevator and kept her back to him. She felt beyond humiliated and blinked back the tears that were threatening to fall. She didn't want him to see her crying over him; that's all he needed was more ammunition to use against her.

They rode the rest of the way in silence, and when the door opened she stepped out quickly and walked as fast as her heels would allow back to their room; she was glad she kept a key card in her clutch. She pulled the card out and unlocked the door then pushed it open and let it close behind her; he had his own key in his wallet.

She slipped her heels off quickly and went to her suitcase to grab some clothes to sleep in, then walked into the bathroom and shut the door before he had even entered the room. As she undressed, she finally let out the tears that had threatened to fall in the elevator. She felt completely devastated over his rejection, and didn't know where to go from here. She'd thought for a while now that they would eventually get together, but she always assumed it would be on her terms, not his. It hadn't ever occurred to her that _he_ would be the one to turn _her_ down.

She turned on the shower and then stepped inside to stand under the hot spray. She wanted to burn the rejection and shame out of her, so she turned it up as hot as she could tolerate, then just stood there and cried until she didn't have any tears left to cry. As she began to wash her hair, she heard the bathroom door open and close. The glass surrounding her was fogged up so she couldn't see if he had come in, but she didn't hear anything, and at this point she didn't really give a shit.

Liz finished washing her hair and body, then turned the shower off and reached for her towel; it wasn't where she had hung it over the top, but she figured it must have fallen. She opened the door of the shower and saw Red standing there holding the towel up with an unreadable expression on his face. She didn't bother to cover up her nakedness as she walked up to him and allowed him to wrap the towel around her. She held her arms up as he secured it in the back, and when he was finished he stepped back and studied her with his head slightly tilted and his lips pursed. She took in his appearance as he continued his perusal of her. He'd taken off his suit coat, vest and tie, and rolled the sleeves of his dress shirt up to his elbows; he looked entirely too appealing for how upset she was supposed to be at him.

She cleared her throat, still feeling the thickness from the tears, then said, "So what, you're just going to stand there and stare at me? Hope I'll declare my love for you again so you can humiliate me all over? Is this a game to you?"

He took a step closer, his face still expressionless, then took another step until they were inches apart, "Is that what you think this is to me, Lizzie? A game? Really, I thought you were supposed to be the brilliant profiler here. Or is Donald rubbing off on you?"

She shook her head and narrowed her eyes at him, but refused to react to his goading, "I don't know, maybe he is. What do you want, Red? I'd like to get dressed and go to bed." She looked up at him with wide eyes, willing the tears that were already threatening again to stay back.

He reached out and ran his hand over her hip lightly, then grabbed and handful of the towel and pulled her to his chest. He didn't give her a chance to resist as he brought his other arm around and hugged her to him tightly. She felt him bury his face in her wet hair, then place a soft kiss on top of her head. She didn't move her arms to hug him, and just allowed him to do whatever he wanted; it hurt too much to do anything but endure it.

"Lizzie", he said softly as he moved his head down and kissed her temple, "You must understand that I wasn't rejecting you. Did I not say that I wanted to marry you? Why would I reject you when I'm in love with you?"

She involuntarily coughed at his declaration, so surprised that she was rendered speechless. When she didn't say anything, he put his hands on her shoulders and pulled her back so he could see her face. She looked surprised and skeptical. He reached up and ran his hand down her face softly, "Lizzie?"

She blinked, then stepped away and turned her back to him then looked over her shoulder and said, "I know you're just trying to let me down gently. You don't need to do that, Red, I'm a big girl." She couldn't bring herself to believe him, no matter what he said.

He heaved an exasperated breath then walked up to her and slid his arms around her from behind. He hooked his chin on her shoulder then said close to her ear, "I wouldn't still be here if I didn't feel for you what you feel for me. Is the steam affecting your cognitive functions? Perhaps I should call a doctor?"

She laughed despite herself, but didn't say anything; she still doubted his sincerity. He stepped back and turned her around, but before she could gather her wits about her, he leaned down and kissed her with an urgency that belied the hands that were lazily moving down her still towel-clad back. He ran his tongue over her bottom lip, then when she opened her mouth for him, moved it inside and intertwined with hers. He began backing her up, but she was too distracted to care where he was going as she moved her tongue inside his mouth and moved her hands to his waist to pull his still tucked-in shirt out of his trousers. The quiet moans he was making in the back of his throat made it hard for her to concentrate on any one thing, but when her back finally made contact with a hard surface, she found she didn't care about anything besides what was happening at this moment; and judging by the way he was kissing her, things would work out eventually.

Liz finally managed to pull his shirt out, then ran her hands under it and over his bare chest. He moved his mouth from hers, and as she protested the loss of contact with a soft whimper, moved his lips down to trail kisses along her collarbone and then her neck as he mumbled quietly, "Lizzie, what you do to me", repeatedly. She pulled her hands out from under his shirt, then began to work at the buttons hastily, wanting to feel as much skin as possible. Just as she finished and ran her hands back up his chest, he reached behind her and pulled the ends of the towel apart until she felt a little rush of cold air hit her backside. He was pressed against her so tightly that the towel didn't drop as he brought his hands up to cup her face and moved his lips inches from hers. He stared at her intently as his warm breath moved over her swollen lips, then smiled and leaned forward to brush his lips over hers, and said emphatically, "I love you Elizabeth Keen. If you don't ever believe another word that comes out of my mouth, you can rest assured that that is the undeniable truth."

She nodded, feeling like he was finally telling her the truth, and said quietly, "I believe you." She found that she did believe him after witnessing the sincerity in his eyes and his heartfelt confession, and by his arousal that was poking her in the stomach.

He stepped back and let the towel fall, then grinned devilishly and raked his eyes over her body as he grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the bedroom as quickly as possible.

OOOOOO

They made love for the first time and it was better than Liz could ever have imagined it. He was an attentive lover, and he made sure that she was satisfied before they moved on to his needs. They fell asleep in each others arms, then she woke up with his hands moving over her body, they made love again. After the second time around, they were so exhausted that they both slept through breakfast and check-out time, and were only awakened by the maid pounding on the door and saying in a heavily accented voice, "Housekeeping, are anyone in dere? I coming in if you do not answer."

Liz groaned as she turned over, feeling sore and stiff. Red's hand fell away from her body as she sat up and stretched, then said, "Yeah, we're in here. Don't come in."

She heard the squeaking of the maid's cart as it moved away, and she laid back down and covered her face with her arm. She had almost fallen back asleep, when a slightly calloused hand began moving over her stomach, then pulled her to his side. She moved her arm and blinked at him sleepily as he looked at her with something akin to worry in his eyes, "Are you feeling the same as you did yesterday, or are you having second-thoughts?"

She reached up and ran her fingers over the stubble on his cheek, "I told you that I wouldn't have second thoughts, because they weren't inspired by that idiot. He just helped me man-up so I could tell you; I guess that's one thing I can thank him for."

He quirked his mouth, "Mine haven't changed either, but I wasn't expecting them to anyway. If anything, they've grown stronger."

Red reached over and toyed with the ring on her left finger for a moment before saying, "I want you to keep this."

She looked at him in surprise, "Red, I'm sure it cost you a fortune, I can't possibly a-"

"Lizzie", he said in a warm voice, "Did you not wonder how I had a ring that fit you perfectly within an hour's notice?"

The thought had crossed her mind, but he was Raymond Reddington, so she chalked it up to that and forgot about it. He continued quietly, "I bought that ring last year after I realized my feelings for you had grown into something more. I didn't think I would ever be afforded the opportunity to give it to you, but I'm glad I did; it's perfect for you."

She nodded and gave him a watery smile, "It really is." She didn't know what else to say. Was he asking her to marry him now or in the future? Or was he even asking her to marry him at all? Maybe he just wanted her to keep it safe until he was ready.

He pulled it off of her finger, then sat up and pulled her up with him. She pulled the sheet around her body as he looked at her and said, "So what I'm asking is, will you marry me? It may not be soon, because we still have a lot of names on my list, and even if we eventually have to marry in secret and hide it from the FBI, I would rather do that then not at all."

That was the one thing she was worried about. The FBI. If they ever found out, she would be fired and Red would be thrown in jail. "Red, if we were caught-"

He took her hand and squeezed it lightly, "I can't promise that we won't be caught. But Lizzie, I won't be able to continue working around you if I can't have you at home with me. We'll have to be careful and make sure to cover our tracks, but I think it's worth trying."

He was right, there wasn't any way that they could continue like normal after this weekend. She took a deep breath then a slow smile spread over her face, "Yes."

He rose his eyebrows in question, "Yes, what?"

She took the ring from him and slid it back on her finger, "I believe you asked me to marry you, and I'm saying yes."

He huffed a laugh at her parroting his words from the elevator last night, then leaned over and kissed her softly. "Good, because neither of us were going to leave here until you accepted. Really, Lizzie, you made it far too easy on me. I expected to have to convince you more thoroughly since you were so dead set on believing that I felt sorry for you yesterday."

She rolled her eyes and said, "Just shut up and kiss me, Red."

He grinned and did just that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *cries* I reallllly don't want to see this come to an end. I've had so much fun writing this and your responses to this fic are completely awesome and overwhelming. Thanks for all of the reviews! I know I'm terrible at getting back to you guys individually, but I'm busy with RL right now, so that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.
> 
> Soooo..I'm willing to continue with what happens when they get home IF I get enough interest. So once again, your thoughts and comments are appreciated. Thanks so much for reading. :)


	8. Chapter 8

As Red and Liz reached her car with their luggage in tow, her cell began to ring. She searched her pockets, but when she couldn't find it there, she dropped her bag and began digging through it; still nothing. She looked up to see Red holding the phone out to her with an amused glint in his eyes. She rolled her eyes and took it from him quickly, "Keen."

"Liz how soon can you get back to the Post Office?" It was Ressler. She opened her mouth to answer him, but he continued without waiting for her answer, "We have a lead on another blacklister. This one is higher up on Reddington's list, but we can't get a hold of him, can you let him know that we need him here?"

She furrowed her eyebrows and turned to watch Red as he began to load the car, "How do you have a name if Red's not there?"

Ressler sounded annoyed as he said, "He gave us this name over two months ago, but the guy disappeared. He only recently returned on our radar; that's why you need to get here soon, Keen."

Liz had zoned off halfway through Ressler's explanation, staring at Red's ass as he finished putting the luggage in the trunk, and only coming back to reality when she heard her name. "Res, I'll be there as soon as possible. I'm in North Carolina, so it's going to be at least another five hours or so until I can get there. Think you can survive?" Her voice was laced with sarcasm at the end.

"Just get here. Oh, and get Reddington here too." He hung up before she could respond.

She stuck her phone in her pocket and looked up to see Red approaching her while slipping his amber sunglasses on. It was all she could do not to take him right then and there; what did it matter if they were in the parking lot of a busy hotel? She smiled and shook her head at her ridiculous thoughts, and quickly took in his appearance. He was dressed in black trousers, a dark blue dress shirt with the first few buttons undone where she could see his white undershirt peeking out, and a black vest. She gave him a small smile as he reached her and said, "What did dear Donald have to say?"

"Oh, just another criminal bent on destroying our way of life; same ol', same ol'."

He nodded, "Well in that case, I think we need to take my jet back to DC. Dembe can drive the car back." He pulled his own cell phone out and put it up to his ear before she could come up with a good reason why they should drive back. Really, she just wanted to spend as much time as possible with him before they returned to real life and had to hide their new relationship from everyone; it was going to be hell. She tuned back in when she heard Red's low voice talking over the phone.

"Dembe, I need you to drive Lizzie's car back to DC. We'll be taking the jet." He paused for a few seconds then said, "We need you to drive us to the airport. Yes...Yes..that's fine." He hung up soon after and looked at Liz, "He'll be here shortly. Apparently he was sunning it up over at the pool." He huffed an amused laugh, but Liz couldn't tell if he was telling the truth or not.

She stepped closer to him and leaned her head on his chest, trying to hide her sudden urge to cry. He put an arm around her lower back and pulled her closer to him as he said near her ear, "What's wrong, Lizzie?"

She swallowed thickly and shook her head, afraid that she would cry if she tried to say something.

He took a deep breath, but didn't try to question her further; he could probably guess what was wrong.

They stood there with him leaning against the car, and her practically glued to his chest until Dembe arrived soon after dressed in a blue t-shirt and white board shorts; Red hadn't been kidding about him lounging at the poolside. "Mr. Reddington, Liz, are you ready to go?"

Liz turned her head and looked at Dembe for a few seconds, then nodded slowly and pushed away from Red reluctantly. Dembe opened the back door for them, and watched as they slid into the car.

OOOOOO

An hour later found them in the air already halfway back to DC. Liz was asleep in her chair with her head on his shoulder as Red tried to concentrate on a financial report his CFO had sent him. He kept staring at the numbers, but he wasn't taking them in as his mind kept wandering to the woman next to him. He didn't know how they were going to hide something as big as "this" from the FBI without them eventually finding it; it was his greatest worry at the moment. He'd told Liz that it was going to work out, but he wasn't so sure. He didn't want to get her arrested or fired from her job because of him. He had half a mind to drop her off in DC and take off again. It would be painful for her at first, but she would eventually get over it and move on. She would be able to find someone closer to her own age, and start a fami-

His damning thoughts were cut off by her hand that began to run up his inner thigh and stop near his crotch. He leaned his head over and looked at her face to see her eyes closed, but a smirk on his face. "Lizzie." He said warningly, "Don't start something that you can't or won't finish." He caught her hand and laced it through his, removing it from temptation.

He heard her yawn as she sat up and rubbed her eyes with her free hand. He squeezed her hand and said, "Why don't you try to sleep longer? It hasn't been all that long."

She shook her head and looked out the window at the wispy clouds that they were passing through, "I couldn't sleep. All I could think about was you trying to leave me, because in your own twisted mind it's the right thing to do."

He rose his eyebrows in surprise, she'd nailed his exact thoughts word for word. She turned to look at him, and he quickly hid his surprise behind a mask of mild concern. "Lizzie, I'm not sure how it's going to work out, but I don't plan on going anywhere."

She studied him with narrowed eyes, and apparently saw something that he hadn't been able to completely hide. "You've been thinking about taking off and leaving, haven't you?"

He cleared his throat and stood up, "I need a drink, do you want anything?"

She sighed and sat back in her seat. "No, I'm fine," She said in defeat. She knew she wasn't going to get anything more out of him. When he closed down like this, it was impossible to tell what he was thinking; she would try another time when he wasn't over thinking everything.

OOOOOO

The rest of the plane ride was wrought with stilted conversation and tension-filled silences. She hated that their last couple hours of freedom were spent like this, but she didn't know how to make it better; there were too many things left unsaid at the moment.

When they landed and taxied over to his private hangar, she quickly stood up, intent on getting out of there before he decided to leave her behind, or tell her that he felt like he couldn't risk his list over a relationship with her.

As she stepped past where he was still sitting, he grabbed her hand and said quietly, "Lizzie."

She tried to pull her hand away, but he wouldn't let her as he continued, "You need to trust me, sweetheart."

She took a deep breath and said without looking at him, "I'm trying."

He pursed his lips and nodded, "We'll talk about this tonight."

She nodded, "Fine. We need to get to the Post Office. I'm sure Ressler's chomping at the bit to annoy you with stupid questions."

Red huffed a laugh as she pulled him up from his seat. She began to walk away, but he pulled her back to him and kissed her softly, but with an urgency that she completely understood; they might not get too many more chances to do this. He pulled away and brought her hand up, then moved his thumb over her ring, "What are you going to do with this?"

She grimaced and looked at it as it sparkled in the sunlight that was streaming through the window near them, "Think anyone would notice if I kept it on?"

He quirked his mouth, "I imagine someone will, then you'll be asked questions that you aren't ready to answer."

"What if I told them my boyfriend in North Carolina proposed to me?" That was something that might work. No one knew she was dating anyone, so they wouldn't question her story.

He shrugged, "It might be worth a shot. If that's what you want to do, then go ahead. I'm certainly not going to stop you."

She looked at the ring again. He was right, what did she have to lose? She didn't want to take it off, and if making up a fake fiancé enabled her to wear it, then so be it.

She smiled and started pulling him towards the door, "Come on, let's go."

OOOOOO

They walked into the post office together, hoping no one would question why they were arriving at the same time. As they stepped off the elevator, Ressler spotted them and put his hands on his hips as he yelled across the Hive, "It's about damn time. Keen, I told you to call Reddington in here three hours ago."

They walked closer and Liz rolled her eyes, "Res, I'm actually here sooner than I said I would be thanks to Red's jet, and he refused to come in until I arrived; so stop complaining."

Red spoke up in a jovial tone, "Ah, Donald, it's so nice to see you again. Slip on any banana peels lately?"

Ressler rolled his eyes as Liz turned and smiled at Meera in greeting. Meera smiled back, but Liz saw her glance down at Liz's left hand and narrow her eyes; she didn't miss much, that's why she was one of the best. Before Meera could question her, she turned back to Ressler and said, "So what's new on this blacklister that has you all excited?"

Ressler looked like he wanted to continue arguing with her, but instead turned around to point to the board that was quickly filling up behind him. "Number fifteen on the list, "The Mailman", as Reddington so cutely nicknamed him. He's anything but cute though, he's a terrorist and he's one of the worst."

Liz sat down on one of the stools and watched as Red walked over near Ressler and began to study the board as Ressler continued to explain what "The Mailman" was all about. He sounded terrifying, but Liz found that she couldn't concentrate on Ressler's explanation, because all she could do was think about all the unspoken words left between her and Red. She knew that they couldn't continue like they-

"Keen, have you heard a damn word that I've said?"

Shit. She dragged her eyes away from the board and looked at Ressler sheepishly, "Sorry, I didn't get much sleep this weekend." Of course it wasn't because of the wedding, but he didn't need to know that.

He heaved an exasperated sigh and ran a hand over his face. She felt bad for letting her attention wander and said, "I'll have Red fill me in on the way. Who are we meeting?"

Red turned away from a monitor he'd been studying and looked at her, "I have a contact that can give us more information, so I had Dembe set up a meeting for tonight. I suggest you get some sleep before we go, Lizzie, it's important that you're able to concentrate." She felt like she was being reprimanded by her teacher and not her secret lover.

She nodded and avoided looking at him as she said, "So I'm assuming there's nothing else that can be done right now?"

At Ressler's nod, she stood up, "Then I'm going to go finish some paperwork in my office, then go home and sleep."

"Fine by me," Ressler mumbled as she walked away. She wanted to come back with something sarcastic, but her mind was a blank, so she straightened her shoulders, walked to her office and shut the door behind her.

She sat down in her chair heavily and heaved a sigh. She was already stressed, and adding a blacklister on top of that wasn't helping. She sat forward and began to work on the last few pieces of paperwork that she hadn't been able to finish before she left two days ago.

The door opened and she looked up to see Red walking in. She looked back down and continued with her report, not bothering to acknowledge him. He sat down in Ressler's chair across from her desk and began rolling up his sleeves. "Lizzie, I really do think you need to go home and sleep."

She nodded at the paper in front of her. "I plan to," she said shortly.

They sat in silence as she finished up her report. When she finished, she put it in her out box and glanced at Red to see that he was studying her, "What?"

He tilted his head, as if a new angle would give him the answer he was looking for. "Are you ready to leave? You might get two hours of sleep if you leave now."

She sniffed and avoided his eyes, "Are you staying with me?"

"No, I have to finish some business that I've neglected this week. If I'm done before it's time to go, I'll join you." She was disappointed to say the least. All she wanted to feel was the closeness that they'd had just that morning; it seemed like a lifetime ago.

Instead of voicing her disappointment, she nodded and said, "Well, will you at least give me ride home?"

"Of course."

She stood up and they walked out of her office together. She waved at Meera and Ressler as they made their way back to the elevator. When the doors opened, they stepped inside and waited for them to close. As soon as they did, he stepped close to her and put his hands on her waist. "Lizzie, people are going to suspect something else is going on if you continue to give me the cold shoulder. You need to treat me the way you normally do."

She moved closer to him and let him envelop her in a hug. "I'm feeling really stressed out; and I don't like that I'm having to consciously think about how I'm "Supposed" to treat you." How the hell had she treated him before?

Red moved his hands up her back slowly. "I'm quite sure Meera suspects something. She isn't CIA for nothing," he said sarcastically.

She huffed a quiet laugh and stood on her toes to kiss his jaw. He hummed in approval as the doors began to open and she stepped back. He grabbed her elbow as they walked towards his car and said quietly, "You are entirely too tempting, Lizzie."

OOOOOO

He walked her into her house and up to her bedroom, then sat on the bed and leaned against the headboard as she changed her clothes in the closet. When she walked out dressed in short shorts and a tank top, he rose his eyebrows and said, "Lizzie, you're making it difficult for me to leave when you come out dressed like that."

She gave him a tired smile, "That might have been my intention. Maybe."

He patted the bed next to him and she walked around and laid down next to where he was sitting. "Will you stay with me? At least until I fall asleep?"

He ran his hands through her hair softly, "Yes, for a while." He sat up and toed off his shoes, then helped her under the covers. He laid down on top of the blanket, then wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her flush against his body. He kissed her neck and said softly, "Don't worry about anything but how much you need to sleep. I'll be here to pick you up at seven." He moved his fingers under the hem of her shirt and began to move them in soothing circles over her lower abdomen and stomach as she felt her eyelids grow heavy.

She fell asleep in minutes; dreamless for the first time in weeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So after going back and forth in my head a few times, I decided to just continue with this fic. It's a pain to start a sequel story, so consider this part 2 of Plus One..haha. It won't be all angst or all fluff, and I plan to bring in a bad blacklister that may cause some problems along with suspicious Ressler and Meera. Thank you so, so, so, much for all the comments and kudos, I really do appreciate them! Please let me know what you think!


	9. Chapter 9

Jane Jackson was an ordinary woman. There wasn't anything particularly special about her. She worked forty hours a week as a mail processor at her local post office and found it to be a rather boring job, one that she didn't want to stay at for the rest of her life. Her husband had been injured five years ago and hadn't been able to work since, so she did what she had to do to support him and their three kids. She'd been at this job for over three years and nothing interesting had ever happened to her. No suspicious packages, no armed robberies; she hadn't even been yelled at by a customer. The post office that she worked at was too small for those kinds of things to happen; she should have been more careful what she wished for.

OOOOOO

"Hey Rob, how are you today?" Jane said as she walked in the backroom, ready for yet another monotonous afternoon of mail sorting.

Rob looked up from his work and said sarcastically, "Oh, I'm wonderful. Just another day in paradise."

Jane laughed and walked over to her station, not paying any particular attention to what was in front of her. She picked up the first envelope and glanced down when she felt lumps at the bottom of it. She narrowed her eyes and shook it, hearing the sound of powder moving around at the bottom; It sounded like sand, and she figured it was probably a prank by a stupid teenager. It was marked for Washington DC, but there wasn't a return address. She needed to check what was inside before she sent it on. Since nothing had ever happened to her like this, she didn't follow proper protocol. It didn't cross her mind that there could be something dangerous inside. She opened the envelope slowly, then peered inside with her face close to opening. A cloud of red dust surrounded her that caused her to cough and her eyes to water. She waved her hand in front of her to clear the dust and began to laugh when Rob said, "Hey, what's going on?"

She shook her head and opened her mouth to say something, but found that she couldn't breath. She started gasping for breath as her vision blurred and horrible lesions began to break out on her arms and face. She opened her mouth in a silent scream as her last thoughts were for her husband and children, and how she hoped they would be taken care of.

OOOOOO

Liz rolled over on her bed and reached for the ringing phone on her nightstand without opening her eyes. It was Ressler judging by the song, and she SO didn't want to deal with him right now.

"Keen," she said, her voice raspy from disuse.

"Liz, we've had another attack by The Mailman, this time in a small town in Arizona."

She opened one eye and squinted at the clock on her nightstand; it was 6:30 PM.

"Ressler, everything you've told me suggests that this guy only attacks areas with a lot of people. It doesn't make sense for him to-"

Ressler cut her off. "The envelope was addressed to DC. The mail processor didn't follow proper protocol and opened the envelope. As a result, everyone in the building died a horrible death; it's not pretty."

Liz yawned and sat up on the edge of her bed. "So I guess that means we're going to Arizona?"

"Got it in one. We have a plane waiting for us at the airport."

She ran a hand over her face and shook her head. "I'm pretty sure Reddington will want to go, and he'll want to take his jet. I think I'd rather go with him, his seats are more comfortable."

Ressler was quiet for a moment, then said, "I'm sure." The tone of his voice suggested that he was implying something else, but she wasn't in the mood to play games with him.

"See you in Arizona, Ress. Bye." She hung up the phone and flopped back down on the bed with her free arm over her face. Her phone began ringing again a couple of minutes later, and she put it to her ear and said a muffled, "Keen."

"Lizzie, are you ready to meet my contact?"

Liz moved her arm and said, "You haven't heard?"

She heard rustling on the other end, and wondered what he was doing. "Heard what? He said tiredly.

"There's been another attack by your blacklister. This time is was premature though, and happened in a small town in Arizona. I've been ordered there to investigate; I'm assuming you want to come?"

"Of course, but we're going in my jet; it's faster. I'll pick you up in fifteen minutes." He hung up without another word and Liz closed her eyes again and groaned. Her eyes felt like sandpaper and her body felt heavy and weak; she wondered if she was getting sick.

She sat up slowly and trudged into her closet to pack an overnight bag, then walked in the bathroom and tried to make herself look presentable. There were dark smudges under her eyes, and her hair looked like she'd been thrown in front of one of those powerful fans. She pulled it back into a ponytail, then quickly touched up her makeup to cover up any evidence of her exhaustion.

As she walked out of the bathroom, her text message notification went off. She walked over to the bed and scooped the phone up and looked at the screen.

Red: We're here. I have dinner for you, we'll eat it in the car on the way to the airstrip.

She didn't bother to answer as she picked up her bag and shuffled downstairs slowly. She locked up her house, then nodded at Dembe holding the car door for her as she slid into the backseat; the door shut behind her and Dembe stepped into the drivers seat seconds later.

"Lizzie, you look like hell."

She sniffed and almost gagged at the smell of food in the car, then looked over at him with a glare. "Thanks. That's just what I needed to hear. Anything else you want to comment on?"

He closed his eyes momentarily, then opened them, looking apologetic. "You know I didn't mean it like that. What's going on with you?"

She blew out a breath and leaned her head against the headrest. "I think I'm getting sick. I feel like shit."

"Are you sure you're up to going? I can call Donald and tell him that we have a lead here that we need to follow."

She didn't bother to look at him as she said, "No, I'll be fine. I need to be there."

He reached over and took her hand then interlaced their fingers. "If you say so."

She squeezed his hand lightly and allowed herself to sink into the leather seats; falling asleep soon after.

OOOOOO

"Lizzie, wake up." She felt someone shake her shoulder lightly.

She tried to bat the hand away, but didn't make contact with anything as she groaned quietly; it felt like she'd just fallen asleep.

She opened her eyes and sat up as she watched Red get out of the car and close the door behind him. She felt an odd weight on her chest and looked down to see Red's long gray jacket draped over her; she pulled it up to her neck and inhaled his scent, then shivered as her door opened and a cold gust of wind blew in. Red leaned down in the doorway and looked at her with concern. "Lizzie, you need to stay here in Washington." He put his hand on her forehead, then reached over and unbuckled her seat belt. "You have a fever and you're shivering. I think that's a pretty good indication that you have the flu, or something of the sort."

She shook her head and tried to get out, but he stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. "Red, I need to do my job. I'm fine. Let me out," she said with a hint of anger in her voice.

He sighed and stood up then stepped back to allow her to get out of the car. She slid out and stood next to him as the cold wind whipped her ponytail around her face. He took his jacket from her hands, then held it up so she could slide her arms in. After it was on, he turned her body to face him and buttoned up a few of the buttons so it wouldn't fly around; his face was inscrutable, but she could see a hint of concern in his eyes. When he finished with the buttons, he pulled her into a tight hug and kissed the side of her head, then murmured quietly near her ear, "I wish you would listen to me, but I understand why you won't."

She nodded and wrapped her arms around his back, hooking her fingers in the little loop in the back of his vest; he felt cold, and she felt guilty for wearing his coat.

Instead of answering him, she pushed him back and kissed his stubbly cheek softly, then pulled away and began walking towards the plane; she heard him heave a sigh then follow behind her soon after.

They were in the air within fifteen minutes. Liz was already curled up in the chair next to him, sound asleep. She had her head on his thigh as he stroked her hair softly and found himself worrying about her health. In the back of his mind he knew it was most likely just the flu or a bad cold, but he couldn't help but think of all the worst-case scenarios.

OOOOOO

They landed at the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport five hours later and had another ninety minute car ride until they arrived at the crime scene in Sedona. Liz was sprawled out on the backseat with Red's coat still wrapped around her tightly as she snored lightly. Red sat in front with Dembe as they quietly discussed what they knew about The Mailman; which didn't happen to be much. It frustrated the hell out of him because he was knowingly putting his fiancé in danger, and he hated every minute of it. He wouldn't ever tell Liz that though, because she wouldn't stand for his over-protectiveness.

Liz's phone begin to ring from her pocket, but she didn't stir as it stopped after five or six rings. Dembe's phone began to ring soon after and he pulled it out and answered it, then handed it to Red without comment.

"Yes?"

"Reddington, it's Ressler." Red rolled his eyes, but didn't comment as he continued, "The local police aren't allowing us to investigate tonight and are making us wait until 8:00 tomorrow morning. We have a hotel that we're all staying in, but I have a feeling it's not your kind of scene." Red could hear the sarcasm dripping from his voice, but didn't rise to the bait.

"Very well Donald, I'll let Agent Keen know."

"Wait, are you going to drop her off at our hotel or is she staying with you?" The way that Ressler worded his comment had Red narrowing his eyes.

"I'll make sure Agent Keen has her _own_ room with a nice view." Red emphasized "Own" so Ressler would understand his meaning.

Ressler cleared his throat in amusement and said, "Ok, we'll meet you at the post office at eight tomorrow, don't be late." Red hung up before Ressler could say anything else and handed the phone back to Dembe with a sigh. He knew that Ressler and Meera were already suspicious of him and Liz; they had to tread carefully.

OOOOOO

They arrived at their hotel and checked in while leaving Liz to sleep in the back seat. They purchased three rooms, if only for appearances sake, then walked out to wake her up. Red opened the door near her head and ran his fingers through her hair softly as he said, "Lizzie."

She made a small grunting noise, then opened her eyes slowly and blinked at him slowly. He bent over her and kissed her on the lips softly, then pulled back and said quietly, "We're at the hotel. Donald called and said that the local officials won't let you investigate the crime scene until tomorrow."

Liz nodded and stretched her arms over her head, brushing his chest in the process. "How are you feeling?"

She cleared her throat, then swallowed a few times. "Like crap, and I really need some water."

He nodded and watched as she sat up slowly. "Let's get you to your room then."

Red helped her out of the car and slipped an arm around her waist to help her walk as Dembe followed behind them with their few pieces of luggage.

Their rooms were on the bottom floor, so they reached the first room quickly. Liz turned to Red and said, "Are we staying in separate rooms?" It warmed his heart to see the disappointment in her eyes.

He nodded, "Our rooms are connected, but I think it may be best if we sleep in separate beds while we're so close to Donald and your other FBI friends. We'll leave the connecting door open in case you need anything."

He took her bag from Dembe, then followed after her and closed the door behind him; leaving Dembe to find his own room two doors down. Liz turned to him as soon as the door was closed and said, "I'm going to take a shower then go to bed. I'm hoping a little sleep will help me function tomorrow."

Red nodded and bit his lip. "I'm going to take a shower myself, then I'll come back over and tuck you in." He said the last bit teasingly, but she didn't seem to notice.

She nodded and turned to her bag as Red walked over to his own room and took a quick shower.

He opened their connecting doors dressed in a white undershirt and cotton pajama pants. Liz was just walking out of the bathroom dressed in a tank top and shorts as he came in. She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his back, then pulled him close and breathed him in. He smelt clean, and like home; and she immediately felt a little better. She moved one of her hands up and caressed his clean-shaven cheek and sighed against his neck. "Are you sure you don't want to sleep with me?" She said tiredly.

Red huffed a little laugh as he ran his hands down her back soothingly and kissed her hair, "As much as I'd love to, I keep feeling that the FBI's going to barge in and see us together; it's better to be safe than sorry."

She kissed his neck and he hummed in approval as she moved the hand that was still wrapped around his back under his shirt, then under the waistband of his pants momentarily before moving it back up.

His arms teased the hem of her shirt before she pulled away from him reluctantly. He leaned down to kiss her goodnight, but she stopped him with a hand on her chest. "I don't think you want to kiss me, you might catch whatever it is that I have."

He shrugged and kissed her anyway, temporarily deepening it before pulling back and giving her a small smile. "It doesn't matter, I'll kiss you at every opportunity I have."

She kissed his jaw, then his lips once more time before pulling away and walking over to her bed. He followed behind her and pulled the covers down, then watched as she slid in and laid on her side towards him. He pulled the blanket over her, then kissed her cheek and whispered good night against her skin, turned her light off then walked into his room. He turned his own light off, then slid into bed tiredly. His last thoughts were of Liz as he fell into a light, troubled sleep.

OOOOOO

"Nooo, No, no, Red. Don't die, please don't die!

Red shot up and blinked at the darkness surrounding him. He wondered if he had been dreaming until he heard her cry out again. "Reddington, NO!"

He stumbled out of bed and walked towards the connecting doors, stubbing his toe on the dresser as he passed it. "Dammit!" He whispered, trying not to alert her neighbors even more.

He limped blindly to her room, then his eyes adjusted and he saw her thrashing under her covers moaning unintelligible words. He walked up to her quickly and shook her shoulder, "Lizzie, wake up. You're dreaming."

She kept thrashing, so Red knelt on the bed and held her shoulders down, "Elizabeth! Wake up!"

Her eyes shot open, then she put her hand over her mouth and said loudly, "You have to let me up, I'm going to throw up."

He released her and watched as she ran on unsteady legs into the bathroom. He winced as he heard her retching, then stood up and grabbed a bottle of water out of her mini-fridge. As soon as he heard the toilet flush, he opened the door and saw her leaning against the tub with her head in between her legs. He walked over and sat next to her, his knees and back creaking as he did so, then nudged her leg with the water bottle.

She groaned and lifted her head slightly to look at him, then took the bottle from his hand weakly and let it hang from her fingers; her engagement ring glinting in the harsh overhead light of the bathroom. He ran his hand over her sweaty forehead and was shocked to feel how hot her skin was. "Lizzie, sweetheart, we need to get you something to get this fever down."

She nodded her head and said quietly, "I'll take anything at this point, I feel like hell."

He squeezed her thigh, then stood up to call Dembe; all the while wondering what kind of sickness could hit her this hard and fast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been forever since I last updated this fic, but I hope there's still interest! If not then I can end it soon, but it's kinda fun writing them in a secret relationship..haha. Thanks so much for reading and I would love to know what you all think. *hugs*


	10. Chapter 10

Red returned within fifteen minutes to find that Liz hadn't moved an inch. She was still sitting on the floor with her knees up and her head in-between them. He sat down on the closed lid of the toilet and put his hand on the back of her head. "Lizzie."

She didn't move or look up. He knew she was ok, because he could hear her breathing, but he was worried. He moved his hand from her hair and trailed it around her head to her forehead. She felt hotter than before; he needed to put her in the bathtub to reduce her fever as quickly as possible. He shook her shoulder a little and said a little louder, "Lizzie, we need to cool you down. We need to get your clothes off and put you in the bathtub."

She made a little groaning noise, but still didn't move.

Red stood up then knelt in front of her. When she didn't acknowledge him, he reached on either side of her and pulled her shirt over her head quickly. She moved her head and leaned it against the wall behind her with a groan. Her eyes were closed and a sheen of sweat covered her face; but yet she was shivering. He grabbed her arms from where they were lying in her lap and pulled her up into his body; putting one arm around her waist to support her while the other hand worked on the clasp of her bra. She laid her head on his shoulder and buried her face in his neck as he managed to unhook her bra, then unbutton her pants. She was so hot that her forehead was burning his neck. He pulled her pants down with one hand as she continued to lie against him. It took him a few minutes, but he finally pushed them and her panties all the way to her feet. He was breathing hard by the time he finished pulling all her clothing off of her. He picked her up and put her in the tub gently, then turned the water on cool so she wouldn't go into shock. She didn't open her eyes once as the cool water ran over her body.

He heard a knock from the outside door and called through the door for him to come in. Dembe walked to the doorway a few moments later with antibiotics and ibuprofen. He avoided looking in Liz's direction as he said, "How is she?"

Red shook his head and bit his lip. "She's burning up. I'm not sure if she'll be able to keep these medications down, but we need to get something in her or we'll have to take her to the hospital."

They both heard her quiet, raspy voice float to them over the sound of the running water coming from the faucet. "No, I'm not going to the hospital. I'm fine."

Red sighed and dismissed Dembe with a quiet "Thanks", then made his way back over to Liz and sat back down on the closed toilet lid and shut the water off. She had her eyes open, but they were glazed with fever and kept closing, then opening seconds later. Red set everything down on the floor and pulled out a thermometer, then ran it across her forehead. Her temperature was 104. He tried not to show any outward reaction because he knew she was watching him. He looked up and gave her a small smile, then picked up the antibiotic and ibuprofen. "Sweetheart, are you up to taking a couple of pills?"

She opened her eyes slowly and grimaced. "I don't need to take anything. I'm fine." Her eyes widened suddenly and she looked down at herself, then where she was. "Why am I sitting in freezing cold water..and why am I naked?"

"Lizzie, you're sick. You have a high fever and I needed to cool you off. We're in Arizona and you were sick before we left. Do you remember any of that?" She furrowed her brows in concentration, then nodded after a few seconds. "I remember getting into your jet, but that's the last thing I remember. What's wrong with me?"

"I'm quite certain you have the flu, or a variation of it, but I'm not a doctor and can't say for sure. Will you take these pills for me?" He held up the bottles for her to see.

She nodded in defeat and closed her eyes again. He stood up and filled a plastic cup up with water, then took two pills out and walked over and knelt next to the side of the tub. He reached out and shook her shoulder lightly. She moved her head around and squinted at him. "Open your mouth so I can put these pills in. Then I'm going to put the cup up to your lips so you can drink some water. Just a little bit though, do you understand?"

She tried to roll her eyes, but it looked more like a grimace as she said, "I'm not stupid, Red."

He huffed a quiet laugh and put the pills in her mouth, then let her drink a little from the cup. She swallowed the small pills with difficulty, then closed her eyes again and slumped down a little more in the water. He stood up and set everything back on the counter, then sat back down on the toilet lid and watched her breathe. He hadn't taken care of a sick person, let alone someone he loved for a long time. They sat in silence for another fifteen minutes, then he ran the thermometer back across her forehead and breathed a little sigh of relief when it read 103.4' at least it was going down and not up. He reached forward and put his hand in the water; it wasn't very cold anymore, so he said quietly, "Lizzie, are you awake?"

She opened her eyes. "I guess."

"Your fever has gone down a little, so I'm going to take you out of the water now, can you help me or do you need me to carry you?"

She moved her neck and tried to sit up, but she couldn't make her body move; he could tell she was frustrated. "Don't worry about, sweetheart. I'm going to pick you up now." He stood up and pulled her up to where she leaned against him, then grabbed a towel from the rack next to him and pulled it around her. As soon as he had the towel wrapped around her, he picked her up bridal style and walked out of the bathroom and into the bedroom, then laid her on the bed. He dried her off as best he could, then pulled the towel from under her and pulled the sheet over her body. She was already asleep and didn't seem to mind that he left her clothes off.

During the entire ordeal he had tried not to look at her body, but he was a male and couldn't help admire her as he attended to her; she had a beautiful body, one that he intended to cherish and love the rest of his life. He pulled his eyes from her sleeping form and reached over and turned the lamp next to her bed off; he would leave the bathroom light on in case he needed to attend to her again. He pulled his wet t-shirt off, then walked over to the other side of the bed and laid down next to her. She needed to stay cool, so he wouldn't move closer to her, but just being by her side brought him some comfort that everything was going to be alright. He fell into a sleep riddled with dreams of Liz sick and dying.

OOOOOO

Red awoke to the sound of Liz's cell phone buzzing on the nightstand beside her. He leaned up and looked over her to see that it was past 8:00; it would be Ressler calling. Liz didn't move to answer her phone, so he slid out of the bed and walked around to her side, then picked it up and answered it. "Donald."

"Reddington, what the hell are you doing answering Liz's phone?" He sounded annoyed, but he could also hear the curiosity in his voice.

"She was sick all night, so I've been taking care of her. I don't think we-"

"Red." Liz rasped as she turned on her side and looked at him. "We're going. I have to be there."

Red pushed mute on the cell phone and looked at her. "Lizzie, you have to be able to walk in order to do that. You couldn't even do that a few hours ago."

She sat up determinedly and scooted to the edge of the bed. "I'm going. With or without you."

Red sighed and shook his head, then pushed the unmute button and caught Ressler mid-rant. Red interrupted him, "Donald, we'll be there shortly. Don't slip on too many banana peels." He ended the call before Ressler could say anything else.

Red turned to see Liz standing up on unsteady legs and holding her head with one hand. He opened his mouth to say something, but Liz held her free hand up and said without looking at him, "Don't say it. I'm going. I'll be fine as soon as I get some more ibuprofen in me." He didn't think she had noticed that she wasn't wearing any clothes.

He kept his eyes on the top of her head as he said, "Very well, but I wish you wouldn't. I'm going to go get dressed, do you need help?"

"No, I'll be fine. Just hurry please." He could tell she still wasn't feeling well, but was trying to put on a good front for him.

"Your medication is in the bathroom. Be careful, sweetheart."

She nodded and he turned and walked into his own room as he heard her heave a sigh.

OOOOOO

They were both out the door and riding towards the crime scene in twenty minutes. Liz had managed to make herself look like she hadn't been up half the night sitting on the bathroom floor. Red on the other hand looked like hell, and he knew it. He couldn't help but notice how she wore heavy layers and a jacket as if it were cold outside. They were in the desert in springtime, it definitely wasn't cold. She rubbed her hands up and down her arms and pulled her jacket closer around her. "Lizzie, do you want me to turn the heat on?"

She shook her head and moved closer to him in the seat. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her as tightly against him as she would allow; she didn't offer any resistance as sat as close to him as possible. "How are you feeling?"

She buried her face in his chest and mumbled, "I'm better than yesterday, but that's not saying much."

He bit the inside of his cheek and moved his hand up and down her arm. "I'm assuming you don't feel much like eating?"

"No, and I doubt you will after seeing the crime scene." That wasn't true, he could eat whenever and whatever; his lifestyle made it so he had to be like that, but she didn't need to know that.

"You're probably right." They rode the rest of the way in silence as Red kept her warm and Liz slept on his chest. When the car slowed, Red squeezed her shoulder. "You might want to wake up so it looks like your not about to keel over."

She took a deep breath and moved away from him towards the door. "I'm fine, Red. Stop acting like I'm on my death bed. I'm not, it's just the flu."

Red held up his hands in surrender. "As you wish, but just let it be known that I don't believe a damn word you say." He stepped out of the car before she could protest.

As they began to make their way towards where all the police officers and FBI agents were standing, Ressler broke away from the group and walked over to them quickly. "It's about damn time. Why the he-"

Liz cut him off impatiently. "I don't need to hear it, Ressler. Fill me in please." Liz had held her hand up to stop Ressler, and that's when Red noticed a series of tiny red bumps and rashes on her fingers. He chose not to mention them in front of Ressler, but he would ask her about them later; that wasn't normal.

Ressler began to explain to them what happened and what they suspected it was. Red began to pay attention when he heard "Anthrax".

Red interrupted him. "You think this was Anthrax?"

Ressler rolled his eyes, "If you had listened instead of staring at Keen's hand then you would have heard me say that they suspect it's something _like_ Anthrax, but not exactly."

Interesting. He saw her glance at him with an annoyed look, then begin to speak. He tuned back into the conversation. "Have all the previous attacks been this same substance?"

Ressler shook his head. "No, and that's why it's been so damn hard to track this "Mailman". He uses something different for every attack, so we can't exactly track where he's getting his supplies because there are so many different compounds and ingredients he's using."

Red pursed his lips. "I have some contacts that would be capable of supplying him. When we get back, I'll get in touch with them and offer them something they can't refuse for information."

Ressler nodded, then turned and waved his arm. "Follow me and I'll show you the crime scene."

Liz and Red followed after him slowly. He could tell Liz was having a hard time keeping up appearances. He put his hand on her back lightly and said quietly. "You don't have to do this, Lizzie. You can go back to the car and wait. Wouldn't that be preferable to collapsing in front of everyone?"

Liz sped up a little so his hand would break contact with her back, then she said over her shoulder. "Quit it, Red."

He sighed quietly and followed after her as they donned masks and gloves -just in case- and walked inside the post office. The scene was eerie and quite grotesque as they were shown all the bodies and evidence, then told why they suspected what they did. The whole thing didn't take more than fifteen minutes, but Red was ready to get out of there; there was nothing here that would help them anyway.

As they stepped back into sunlight and fresh air, Red turned to Ressler. "Are we needed here any longer? This entire trip was a waste."

Ressler grimaced and put his hands on his hips. "While I agree that it didn't shed much light on the situation, it still needed to be investigated."

Liz stepped between them before they could continue and looked at Ressler. "Thanks for the tour, Ressler. I'm not feeling well though, so I'm going to go back to DC and help Red with his contacts."

Ressler nodded and his features softened as he looked at her. "You're welcome, Liz. I hope you feel better."

She patted his shoulder then turned and began to walk towards the car. Red rose an eyebrow at Ressler, then said, "Safe travels, Donald." Ressler nodded and stared after Liz as Red turned his back to follow her; Red wondered if Ressler had feelings for her.

OOOOOO

They were back in the jet flying back to DC within the hour. Liz had her arm on the armrest next to him, so he picked up her hand and studied the bumps on her fingers closer. They didn't look like anything he'd seen before. "What are these, Lizzie?"

She looked up from the report she was reading and shrugged. "I don't know. They just appeared yesterday; I'm probably allergic to some soap I used or something."

Red didn't think so, and he didn't fail to notice that she still hadn't eaten anything or taken off any of the layers of clothing she was wearing; she was still stick, but was trying to convince him that she wasn't. "Lizzie, do you mind if I take your temperature?"

She took her hand back and looked at him. "Why?"

He pulled the thermometer out of his suit coat and said, "Because I know you're still sick and trying to pretend that you're not."

She sighed and said, "Fine, take my temperature, but like I've said a hundred times, it's just the flu."

Red didn't answer as he moved the device over her forehead. It read 103.2. "Have you taken any of the antibiotics that I provided?"

She nodded. "I took one a few hours ago along with the ibuprofen. Why? What's my temperature?"

He put the thermometer back in his pocket before she could look. "It's still too high. I'm convinced we need to go to a doctor. I know someone who will keep your privacy intact and is extremely skilled and knowledgeable; if only for my piece of mind, Lizzie, I ask that you consider seeing him."

After seeing the concern in his eyes, she nodded and laced her fingers with his. "Fine. I'll go, but just for you."

He gave her a small smile and leaned over and kissed her softly. After pulling away, he pulled their hands up and lifted the arm rest, then patted his leg for her to lie down on his lap. She pulled her hand away and did as he asked, then let out a little sigh as he began to run his fingers through her hair. Her head was hot, along with the rest of the skin that he touched, but he could still feel her shivering slightly; he was concerned.

As soon as he heard her deep breathing indicating that she was asleep, he motioned with his hand for Dembe to come over to him. As soon as he was close, Red whispered, "Will you call my doctor and tell him that we'll be there within a few hours? Lizzie needs to be seen, I fear it's something other than the flu."

Dembe nodded and pulled his phone out of his jacket pocket, then walked away from them so as not to disturb Liz.

Dembe returned within moments and nodded in confirmation that it was all set up. Red nodded and watched as his bodyguard returned to his chair. Liz mumbled unintelligibly as Red resumed stroking his fingers through her hair. Her fingers that were curled up against her chest twitched, then went still; he wondered what she was dreaming about.

OOOOOO

They landed at Red's private airstrip a few hours later. Liz had been asleep the whole time despite repeated attempts by Red to get her to wake up and eat something; she simply refused.

He had Dembe scoop her up from his lap and carry her to the waiting car; she just wrapped her arms around his neck and allowed herself to be carried; which definitely wasn't like Liz.

They returned to DC in record time and pulled in front of his doctor's house. It was a beautiful three story brick home, with a perfectly manicured yard. Red didn't stop to appreciate any of that though, as he woke Liz up and attempted to help her walk inside. She was lethargic and couldn't seem to get her legs to move right, so Dembe picked her up again and carried her to the front door while Red knocked. The door was answered immediately and they were shown into a room that looked to be used as an office. There were bookshelves behind them and a big, beautiful mahogany desk in front of them with matching bookshelves filled with books behind it. Dembe sat Liz down in her own chair as Red sat down next to her, then moved to stand against the back wall.

Red moved the chair closer to her and ran his hand softly over her jaw. She looked at him with tear-filled eyes and whispered, "I'm scared, Red. I've never felt like this before."

He nodded and moved his thumb over her cheek. "Don't worry, sweetheart, we'll figure it out."

She nodded and opened her mouth to say something, but the door behind them opened and the doctor walked in. He was the same age as Red, but looked quite a bit older. He had white hair and many wrinkles around his mouth indicating that he had once been a heavy smoker; Red knew he didn't smoke any longer. He smiled at Red. "Reddington, it's been what..a year since I last saw you? You look healthy; I'm glad to see that."

Red just gave him a small smile and nodded. It's good to see you again too, Kevin, but now is not the time for pleasantries. I've brought this young woman to you because she's extremely sick and we need your expertise."

Red looked at Liz, who in turn was looking at him anxiously. "Lizzie, this is Doctor Holt. I trust him, so you can too. Can he look at you?"

Liz sat up a little more and nodded. "Nice to meet you Dr. Holt."

The doctor nodded and began to ask Red and Liz about her symptoms and the circumstances surrounding their onset. By the time they were done explaining, the doctor looked concerned. "I have a theory, but you're not going to like it; either one of you I'm afraid."

Red looked at the doctor impatiently. "We don't have time for games, Kevin. Come out with it."

The doctor's eyes darted to Liz first, then Red's as he said, "I think she's being or been poisoned, and I'm not sure if there's a cure."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok first of all, I'm so sorry its been so long since I last updated; no excuses. Second, thank you so much for all the wonderful reviews and kudos. I know this chapter was kind of slow, but I'm trying to build towards something. Poor Liz. I would love to know what you think. Please leave a review, even if it's to tell me that you hate it. Thanks for reading! Happy Sunday. :)


	11. Chapter 11

"What?!" Red and Liz both exclaimed at the same time. She looked over at him in confusion, but he could only look back at her with the same expression. He didn't know what to say. She slumped down further into her seat and closed her eyes; letting him speak for her.

He sat up straighter and gave the doctor a hard look. "How can you be certain of that?"

Doctor Holt steepled his fingers and leaned his elbows on the desk. "Her symptoms, as well as the rash on her fingers indicate a type of poison that I studied back when I went to Africa for my dissertation. It's used quite often over there among warring tribes, but I've never seen it in the States."

Red cleared his throat and glanced at Liz to see that she hadn't moved or opened her eyes. He didn't want to ask his next question in her presence, but she wouldn't leave, even if he asked her to. "Is it fatal?" He said quietly, hoping Liz hadn't heard him. But unfortunately she did, as her eyes shot open and she turned her head to look at the doctor.

The doctor leaned back in his chair and sighed. "It is if the antidote isn't administered."

Red glanced around the office. "So let's give her the antidote. Cost isn't an issue; I'm willing to pay whatever it takes."

Doctor Holt looked a little worried as he said, "Raymond, the antidote isn't here. It's made by the women in those villages. We don't even have the proper ingredients to make it."

Red shot up and placed his palms flat on the desk, then leaned over, getting as close to the doctor's face as he could; his expression was menacing. "Then we're going to get in my plane and you're going to take me to a village where they can make it."

Kevin leaned away a little; fear clearly written across his features. "Reddington, it's been over twenty years. I don't know if those villages still exist, let alone the people who knew how to make the antidote."

Red slammed his hands down on the desk. "I don't give a damn. You're taking us!" He glanced back at Liz to see her looking at him with glazed over eyes. Her expression blank.

She was already beginning to slip away from him.

"How long does she have, Kevin?" He still was in the doctor's personal space, and leaned in further still. The doctor swallowed noisily and glanced down at his fidgeting hands before looking back up at Red. "Forty-eight to seventy-two hours. Maybe more, maybe less; it's hard to know."

Red quickly mentally calculated how long it had been since she first began to feel sick and figured that it had already been over 30 hours. It was going to take a least fifteen to get there; but they were running out of time judging by her rapid decline. He stood up and glanced back at Dembe. Dembe knew what he needed and stepped outside to make a phone call.

Red turned back to the doctor to see him staring at Liz with concern. He quickly looked back at her and grimaced. Her head was slumped against the back of the chair and her eyes were closed. He turned and approached her; almost afraid that she was already gone. "Lizzie," he said quietly as he touched her shoulder softly. She opened her eyes and screamed loudly in pain as she flinched away from him.

She had developed a new symptom.

She quieted down soon after and whimpered as she looked at him with furrowed eyebrows. "Red," she choked out and reached a hand out towards him. He crouched down so he could look at her at eye-level, but avoided touching her. "Sweetheart, we're going to take you in my plane so we can find the antidote."

She blinked a few times and nodded. "I've been following the conversation...well most of it," she said quietly.

He reached a hand out to touch her face, but stopped at the last moment. "Are you in pain?"

She nodded as tears filled her eyes. "When you touched me, it felt like you hit me with a sledgehammer." She hesitated, then continued, "What's going to happen to me?" She weakly reached up and rubbed her eyes to rid them of the tears.

He touched the back of her hand that was lying on the armrest softly. She didn't react, so he moved his fingers over her knuckles as lightly as he could. "I'm not certain, but we need to leave now if you're going to have a chance. I need to carry you, but it's probably going to be painful."

She took a deep breath, then winced as she let it out. "I don't see that I have a choice. Let's just get it over with."

Red stood and picked her up as carefully as possible, and winced every time she let out a quiet moan. He wished he could be the one in pain. He would gladly trade her positions.

He turned to the doctor to see him slipping his coat on. Red nodded, grateful that he was no longer arguing with him about going and said, "Bring something to ease the pain for her. I'm certain the plane ride is going to be excruciating." The doctor nodded and gathered the supplies, then they all walked out of the office and to the car where Dembe was waiting for them.

The only sound on the ride back to the airstrip was Liz's labored breathing.

OOOOOO

They had lain Liz across three seats and given her a sedative and medication before the plane took off. She had initially refused them, but Red had knelt next to her head and whispered in her ear while stroking her arm lightly that it was only in her best interest. That she would be able to sleep most of the way without having to suffer. She had leaned up a little and put her lips next to his ear and said, "I love you, Raymond."

He had almost lost it at that point, but valiantly battled back the rising tide of emotion. He couldn't lose her. He wouldn't be able to bear it. "I love you too, sweetheart," he had whispered back, then kissed her softly on the cheek and told her to lie back so the doctor could give her the pain medication. She had listened to his instruction and kept her eyes locked with his the entire time as the doctor inserted an IV that had fluids and a sedative, then while he gave her the medication. She hadn't cried out once, even though pain was written all over her features. She had drifted off soon after, and Red had sat down across from her and next to the doctor with a sigh.

That had been over twelve hours ago. They only had a few hours left. He had discussed with the doctor at length about what they planned to do once they landed in Ghana, but now he found himself studying Liz as she slept. Her sleep wasn't peaceful. Her eyebrows were knitted together, and her mouth was pinched; but she was still alive. That's all that mattered.

The satellite phone began to ring where it rested next to him on the ledge by the window. He pulled his eyes away from Liz and picked it up. "Reddington," he said quietly.

"Reddington. Where the hell are you?! Where's Keen?" It was Ressler. In all the commotion, the FBI had completely slipped his mind. His only objective had been to save Liz. Everything else was secondary.

"I'm currently in the air over the Atlantic Ocean. Lizzie is with me.." he trailed off, deciding to let Ressler ask the questions that he needed to know the answers to most.

Ressler huffed angrily. "Care to tell me why? How's Liz?"

Red sighed and rubbed a tired hand over his face and short-cropped hair. "Lizzie is dying, Donald. She was poisoned and we're trying to track down the antidote. I have a doctor with me that has seen it before, but only in Africa, so that's where we're headed if you must know."

Ressler didn't say anything for an entire twenty seconds. Red counted. "Dying? What the hell, Reddington? Why am I just now hearing about this?" He was furious; Red could hear the venom in his voice, even over the slightly staticy phone.

"Excuse me, Donald, if I put finding out what was wrong with her ahead of informing you. I'll make sure and rectify that in the future." His voice dripped with sarcasm and anger. He wasn't in the mood to deal with the annoying FBI agent.

Ressler was silent again, but only for a few moments. His voice was calmer as he said, "How did it happen? The poisoning, I mean. When could she have possibly been around that kind of substance?"

Red had been thinking over the possibilities for the last few hours. The only time she could have been exposed would have been when she was in her office doing paperwork before going home. He had watched her open a few pieces of mail, but he hadn't seen her react to anything. It wasn't airborne or he would have been exposed as well, so it must have been on something she touched. She had been targeted personally. He felt the rage building up in his chest, but he pushed it down. There wasn't time for that; the damn blacklister would pay eventually; he was as good as dead.

"I suggest you start by testing the mail she opened and the paperwork that she filed two days ago. Hopefully it hasn't been moved, but I fear it already has been, and it may be spreading as we speak." He didn't particularly care about anyone but Liz at the moment, but it was the right thing to do to warn Ressler so more people wouldn't die.

Ressler sighed. "Thanks for the heads-up, Red." He sounded like he blamed Red for not telling him sooner, but was too cowardly to bring it up. "I better get a move-on. Keep me updated..oh and you better bring some of that antidote back just in case."

Red chuckled humorlessly, "Will do." He hung up and threw the phone carelessly back on the ledge, then picked up his glass of scotch and downed the rest of it in one swallow. The doctor had moved back a row of seats, so no one had witnessed his temporary loss of control.

He filled his glass back up, then resumed studying Liz. Her face seemed paler, and her breathing more labored. He took another drink and slumped down in his chair.

He couldn't do anything but stare at the rise and fall of her chest the rest of the trip. He kept expecting it to stop, but it never did, as he prayed to a God that he didn't believe in.

OOOOOO

Three hours later they landed at a small airstrip in Fufulso, Ghana. Liz had yet to wake up; which he was grateful for, because she wouldn't have to suffer through being carried and transported. Her head was lying on his lap in the backseat as they followed the doctor's instructions to where he remembered the village being. It was going to be at least a three hour drive.

Liz no longer had the IV, so she would be waking up anytime. He dreaded that moment. He didn't want to hear her suffering. She had broken into a sweat, but yet was shivering, even though it was well over ninety degrees and humid. He used his handkerchief to wipe her forehead and chest periodically. Her breathing was raspy; like her lungs were filling up with fluid. He continuously ran his fingers through her hair to comfort himself. That was all he could do.

They were almost out of time. He could read the writing on the wall.

OOOOOO

The first sign that she was waking was a quiet moan from her dry, cracked lips. He continued to run his fingers through her hair as he waited for her to open her eyes. She tried to open them, but winced and closed them again once the bright sun hit them.

"Lizzie, you're ok. We're in a jeep in Ghana, just relax and focus on your breathing."

She nodded weakly and furrowed her eyebrows in pain as she breathed in and out deeply, then coughed violently. He turned her on her side gently and watched as tears streamed down her cheeks and onto his shoes as she tried to control herself.

After a few moments, her coughing subsided, so he rolled her back onto her back and wiped her mouth and cheeks. She finally opened her eyes, and he was shocked at how dull her blue eyes were. It terrified him.

He tried not to show it as he leaned forward and kissed her temple, then looked up and spoke to Dembe. "How much further?"

Dembe glanced at the doctor, who cleared his throat and squinted out at the passing landscape. The trees were thick along the bumpy dirt road that they drove along. "I'm guessing we're almost there. You have to remember that it's been years, Red. Nothing looks familiar."

Red reached forward and grabbed the doctor's sleeve forcefully and said through clenched teeth. "Well you better be leading us in the right direction. You don't want to know what will happen if she dies." He released the doctor with a little shove and sat back in the seat. Liz hadn't reacted to being jostled. He sighed angrily and wiped her brow again.

They rode along in silence for another ten minutes until Dembe suddenly slammed on the brakes. Red grabbed Liz, trying to ignore her cry of pain, then looked up to see why they had suddenly stopped. There were two young, African boys wearing loin cloths standing in the middle of the road.

Dembe opened the door slowly and stepped out. Red carefully laid Liz's head down on the seat and slid out of the Jeep behind him. He watched as Dembe tentatively approached the boys. They didn't seem to be afraid, but Red knew they wouldn't speak any language that he nor Dembe would know.

Red walked up behind a crouching Dembe and listened to him try to explain to the boys through words and hand gestures what he needed to know.

The boys looked at each other, and after a moment, the taller one pointed off to the left. Dembe nodded and gestured at Red and the vehicle behind them; he was trying to ask if they could come along. The boys seemed to understand, but made walking gestures with their fingers. It looked as if they wouldn't be able to drive to their destination.

Dembe nodded and stood up, then turned to Red. "We will have to walk. Do you think Liz will survive the trip?"

Red began rolling up his sleeves and shrugged. "I can't be certain of anything any longer, Dembe. She's barely responsive now. I only hope these people have the answer."

Dembe clenched his jaw, but looked over Red's shoulder at the doctor as he approached them. The doctor touched Red's shoulder and said, "We have a problem."

Red laughed out loud. "Another one? How fitting. What else, pray tell, could possibly be wrong?"

He finished rolling up his sleeves and tilted his head at the doctor, waiting for a response.

Kevin sniffed and bit his lip. "I was just going over some of my old notes. Red, this tribe views women as property. Elizabeth is unattached. That could present a problem."

Red shrugged. "I'll just tell them that she's my wife. I'm failing to see the problem here." He went to move past him, but the doctor stopped him with a hand on his shoulder again. "You don't understand, Red. You'll have to prove it."

He glared at him. "How?"

"Once she's healed, you'll have to go through their ceremony or she'll be taken away and given to another male. Then she won't be able to leave." The doctor took a nervous step back.

Red took a step forward and said, "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. She needs to actually live for that to matter." He stepped around Kevin and strode back to the Jeep.

Liz hadn't moved, but he couldn't help but notice the ring on her left hand glinting in the sunlight. He swallowed the lump in his throat and scooped her up carefully, not feeling her weight at all, and carried her towards where the two young boys and the two men waited at the treeline.

He nodded at them, then shook his head at Dembe's questioning eyebrow. He wanted to feel Liz in his arms, especially if this was going to be the last time she was alive.

He pushed that thought back and trudged through the thick plant life towards Liz's only remaining chance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know its been forever since I last updated this, so this chapter probably wasn't worth the wait. I hope it wasn't too disappointing. Things aren't looking good for poor Liz. Thanks so much for reading, and I would love to hear your thoughts, good or bad. Have a good day! :)


	12. Chapter 12

They walked for what seemed like hours. Red was drenched in sweat and exhausted as he stumbled over yet another hidden root in the thick foliage. He was at his wits end. Liz had remained strong for a long while, but she was no longer able to hold in her cries of pain. It wrenched his heart every damn time. He began losing the battle with his own mind as he found that he couldn't stop thinking about how he was going to lose yet another person that he loved. It was unbearable.

Dembe repeatedly offered to take Liz from him, but he always refused; he needed her in his arms.

Liz's head flopped against his shoulder and he looked down to see her looking at him with tear filled eyes. He tried to school his expression so she wouldn't be able to tell that his thoughts were in a dark place, but he could tell that she saw right through him as she reached a hand up weakly and caressed his stubbly jaw. "Red," she choked out, then coughed violently.

His mouth twitched upward at the corner as he shushed her. "Lizzie, you need to save your strength."

She closed her eyes momentarily, then opened them and looked at him intently. Even though she didn't say anything, he could see her meaning clearly. She hadn't lost hope. That helped more than anything she could have said.

He bit the inside of his cheek and nodded resolutely. She wasn't gone yet.

Seemingly satisfied with his response, she closed her eyes again and moved her hand from his cheek to his chest and slipped two fingers through the buttons of his dress shirt to rest on his bare skin.

He took a deep breath and trudged onward behind Dembe and the two boys. All he would allow himself to think was just to put one foot in front of the other. It helped.

OOOOOO

Twenty minutes later, he saw the boys break through a clearing ahead of him. He breathed a sigh of relief and walked under a branch that Dembe held up for him. As soon as he walked into the clearing, they were instantly surrounded by fifteen to twenty men holding spears. Dembe quickly approached from behind with his hands up in the air and looked to the boys to explain to the tribesmen why they had led outsiders here.

The boys began talking quickly with waving hands. They pointed at Red and Liz many times, and after what seemed like a lifetime, an old man dressed like the boys but with many necklaces around his neck stepped forward and gestured with his hand for Red, Dembe and Kevin to follow.

Red adjusted Liz in his arms and quickly followed after the ancient man; he didn't check to see if the others were following. They weren't his priority.

The old man led them towards a series of huts and lean-to's and stopped in front of a particularly large hut made of clay with a leafy roof and gestured for them to go inside. They stepped through the doorway into a dark, musty smelling room. It took a few seconds for his eyes to adjust, and when they did, he saw an old, wrinkly, nearly nude woman sitting in front of a loom weaving something that he couldn't identify.

The old man stepped past him and started to speak to the woman in a low voice. He wished more than anything that he could understand what was being said. Dembe stepped up beside him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Raymond, I'm going to go try to learn some of the language while they help Liz. Doctor Holt is going to stay with you and help."

Red nodded and watched as Dembe stepped through the doorway and back into the sunlight. He turned back to see the old woman staring at Liz with raised eyebrows. He took a small step forward, but the old man held up his hand and shook his head. Red sighed, but didn't try to move forward as the woman continued to study Liz from five or six feet away.

After a few minutes of silence the woman stood up slowly, her knees cracking in the silent hut, and slowly approached Red. She stopped in front of him, then reached out and put her hands over Liz's face and closed her eyes. But just as soon as she closed them, they opened again and her expression was filled with distress. She stepped back and gestured for him to lay her on the blanket that was spread out over the floor by a cold firepit in the middle of the room. He quickly stepped forward and laid her down gently. Liz didn't open her eyes or make a sound. He knelt next to her and lifted her hand to show the woman the rashes on her fingers. The woman bent down slowly and took Liz's hand, then studied the rashes intently. She suddenly turned and barked out instructions to the man behind her. The old man almost ran out of the hut, despite his advanced years.

"Can you help her?" Red looked at her with pleading eyes, his face open and earnest.

The woman's eyebrows narrowed in confusion. She didn't understand. He had never felt so helpless in his life.

He sighed and sat back on his haunches and waited for whatever was to happen next. He was slowly being driven crazy. He heard someone step through the doorway and turned to see Kevin standing there looking a little scared.

"Doctor Holt?"

He swallowed nervously and approached them, then glanced at the old woman and gasped audibly. "Adzo?"

The woman's head shot up in surprise as she tried to place who the Doctor was. A flash of recognition passed over her face after a moment. "Kev-in," she said in a heavily accented voice and smiled.

Kevin smiled widely and turned to Red. "I worked with Adzo when I was here. She's the best they have in the medicine field."

Red nodded and sighed. All he wanted to know was if Liz was going to be ok. "Can you ask her what's happening?"

Kevin winced. "I can't speak the language. I had a translator when I was here."

Red ran a tired hand over his face and opened his mouth to say something when the old man came back in carrying something in a wooden, hand-made bowl.

He handed it to the woman, then bowed his head and walked back out. Red peered at the liquid in the bowl and winced. It looked disgusting.

Adzo gestured for him to move Liz's head up so she could swallow. He scooted behind her and lifted her upper body so that her head and shoulders were lying on his thighs. Adzo nodded and pulled Liz's mouth open then poured a little liquid in an massaged her throat to help her swallow. They did that for the entire contents of the bowl, and Liz didn't wake up once.

Adzo set the bowl to the side, then pulled a blanket down from a table and spread it over the still shivering Liz. She stood up and patted the top of Red's head, then walked out of the room without a word or gesture. He guessed that it meant they had to wait and see. He hated waiting.

Kevin cleared his throat. "I'm going to go find something to drink. Do you need anything?"

Red shook his head. "I'm fine," he said shortly. All he wanted to see was Liz's clear, blue eyes. He wanted that more than anything.

Kevin nodded, then turned and left; leaving Red and Liz alone.

He laid down next to her on the hard ground and turned on his side so he could look at her without touching her. She was so beautiful, even on her death-bed.

He reached out and carefully pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, then laid down on his arm and closed his eyes. He needed to rest. It had been at least two days since he last slept.

He let out a long, slow breath and tried to think about anything other than his dying fiancé.

OOOOOO

Red woke with a start when he heard a soft moan in front of him. He tried to push up on his elbow, but he couldn't feel his arm, so he leaned closer and looked at her, cursing the terrible lighting in the dark, dank hut.

"Sweetheart?" He said quietly, not actually expecting her to respond.

She turned her head towards him and tried to open her eyes. "Red, where-"

He placed a finger over her lips softly. "Shh, shh, shh, you're in Africa. You were poisoned and we brought you here to find the antidote. Do you remember any of that?"

She gave up trying to open her eyes and moaned quietly. "The last thing I remember is sitting in the Doctor's office."

He nodded and put his hand on her forehead. She was significantly cooler to the touch; that gave him hope.

"How are you feeling?"

She winced and lifted her hand for him to take. "Like I was run over by a steamroller, repeatedly."

He smiled a little and threaded his fingers through hers, then leaned down and whispered in her ear, "That's a hell of a lot better than dead."

She moved her face towards him and finally managed to open her eyes. "That bad, huh?"

He nodded but didn't say anything else as she began to drift back to sleep. She needed to sleep as much as possible.

He rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand as he listened to her slow, steady breathing. It sounded tremendously better than it had three hours ago.

Something other than despair flared in his chest. It felt a lot like hope.

OOOOOO

Red stood watch over her for the next two days; only leaving her side to use the bathroom and to stretch his legs. She steadily improved as the old woman continued to treat her with the horrid looking liquid. As Liz became stronger, she got to where she dreaded the treatments, but she never complained out loud once. He knew she was grateful to be alive.

Dembe and Kevin had checked in periodically, but mostly stayed away and interacted with the tribe; Dembe had even learned to have short conversations with the people, which made asking for certain things a lot easier.

On the morning of the third day, Liz felt almost normal. She was back to eating solid food and seemed to be in good spirits; but she was ready to leave the hut and walk around for a few minutes.

Red helped her stand up, then wrapped his arm around her waist and walked with her around the small village. The children tended to stay away from them, but many adults smiled at them as they walked by.

He knew they must look pretty frightening, with her hair in a tangled mess, and his clothes dirty and wrinkled. She began to tire shortly after they began, and he helped her sit down under a tree so she could rest.

"Are you ok, sweetheart?" He put his hand on her thigh and squeezed it to get her attention.

She looked at him with tired eyes. "I hate feeling like an invalid."

"Lizzie, you almost died. I say you're doing remarkably well for someone who was on their death-bed three days ago."

She sighed. "I know, I know."

He didn't know what else to say, so he sat silently next to her and massaged her shoulders and back carefully.

She rolled her neck and looked at him. "Thank you."

He smiled and squeezed her shoulder, then resumed rubbing her back. They looked up when they heard someone approaching. It was one of the tribesmen. He looked to be around Liz's age, and was tall and skinny. His loin cloth hardly covered anything.

As he walked past, he leered at Liz and openly stared at her breasts. Liz crossed her arms over her chest uncomfortably and avoided looking at him.

Red glared at him, but he didn't even look Red's way. It infuriated him, but he kept his mouth shut so he wouldn't cause a scene.

The rest of the day passed without incident, but Red couldn't seem to get rid of the bad feeling he had. Something was off, he just wasn't sure what.

OOOOOO

That night they were moved to their own hut. It smelled like rotting meat, but at least they didn't have to deal with the ornery, old woman who pinched his arm every time she needed him to do something. He was grateful for her help, but that didn't mean he had to like her.

As he and Liz laid next to each other on the hard earth underneath a thin blanket, she turned to him and laid her head on his shoulder. He put his arm around her and ran his fingers up and down her back softly.

"Red?" She whispered against his hand-made woven shirt. After a few days, Adzo had handed him the shirt and wrinkled her nose to let him know that he smelled. He had smiled and took it, then they had taken his clothes and washed them for him. Now he wore the shirt and his boxer briefs to bed and his other clothes during the day. He couldn't imagine them being there for much longer, so he wasn't too worried about finding other clothing.

He hummed in response and kissed the top of her head. He was comfortable and sleepy; and he finally felt like things were going to work out for the best. Liz was alive, that's what mattered the most.

She wrapped her arm around his abdomen and slipped her hand under his shirt to find bare skin, then she threw her leg over his thigh and said, "Does something feel off to you?"

He pulled her a little closer and buried his nose in her hair. At least he wasn't the only one thinking that. He nodded. "Yes. Ever since that tribesman walked past us earlier today. I thought I was imagining it." He sighed "I think we should leave tomorrow. You didn't have to drink any of that liquid today, so they must think you're healed."

She nodded against his shoulder and tightened her hold on him. "I agree. I don't want to stay around long enough to find out what's actually "off".

"We'll leave first thing in the morning," he said quietly as he reached down and pulled her face up so he could press his lips to hers.

She sighed happily into his mouth as she kissed him back, and smiled softly after he pulled away. "Night, honey," she whispered.

He laughed quietly. "Honey? That's new."

He felt her shrug. "It just seems weird calling you Ray or Raymond, so I thought I would try out some pet names.

He made himself comfortable and took a deep breath. "You can call me anything you like, sweetheart."

She didn't respond as they both drifted off to sleep listening to the sounds of the wild animals surrounding them, and the soft patter of rain hitting their roof.

OOOOOO

"Raymond, Liz, you must wake up!"

Red opened his eyes blearily and could barely make out Dembe's silhouette in the doorway.

Liz didn't stir as Red lifted his head. "What's going on?"

Dembe approached the sleeping couple with a distressed look on his face. "I've been told that a tribesman has claimed Liz as his wife."

That got his attention. He carefully extracted himself from Liz and stood up the face his bodyguard with narrowed eyes. "What do you mean by "claimed"? He said in a deadly voice.

Dembe's frown deepened. "Kevin told us when we first arrived that this tribe does not allow women to go unattached. They must be married after a certain age."

Red shook his head, confused. "How do they know we're not married? I've done everything a husband would do."

Dembe sighed and ran a hand over his smooth head. "I think Kevin may have let it slip that you weren't actually married."

Red felt like throwing something; or punching Kevin's head off. Either sounded like a good idea at the moment. "Son of a bitch," he spat out quietly. "What can we do to show them that Lizzie isn't available?"

Dembe shifted uncomfortably. "You will have to fight for the right to marry her, then once you win, go through with their marriage ceremony."

That didn't sound too bad. They were planning on marrying eventually anyway. Dembe didn't look pleased though, and that didn't bode well for him.

"What exactly will I have to do to "win" her?" Red glanced back to see that Liz hadn't moved.

Dembe shook his head. "I don't know. I couldn't understand what they were saying. They were using words I haven't learned."

Red bit the inside of his cheek as he contemplated his options. "Do you still have your gun?"

Dembe quickly pulled out a handgun from the waistband of his pants and handed it to Red. "What are you going to do?"

Red set the gun down and pulled his pants on. "Stay with Lizzie, I'll be back soon."

"Raymond," Dembe said warningly.

Red chuckled humorlessly. "I'm not going to kill him, just...help him change his mind."

Dembe nodded reluctantly and sat down on the floor by Liz's head. "Be careful."

Red rolled his eyes and stepped out into the early morning sunlight. All the single men stayed in a certain part of the village, so that's where Red headed.

As he came upon the cluster of huts, he saw that all the men were outside sitting around a fire. They were talking loudly and passing around what looked like a homemade bong.

Red immediately spotted the bastard who had "claimed" Liz and walked over to him, then wrapped his arms around his neck and dragged him away from the group. The man protested, but none of his friends moved to help as he pulled him into an empty hut. As soon as they were inside, Red threw him to the ground and pointed his gun at his head. The man looked terrified as he put his hands up and began pleading with Red, who didn't understand a word he was saying.

Red pulled the hammer on the gun back and yelled for him to shut up. The man shut up immediately and cowered in the corner while watching Red warily.

Red tilted his head and began speaking. "I want you to know one thing. My companion is "claimed" by me. If I hear that you're still "claiming" her later today, I'll kill you and burn your body." He made a cutting motion with his finger across his throat.

The man looked around wildly for a second, then swallowed noisily and nodded. He probably didn't understand what Red was saying about Liz, but he definitely understood the death threat.

Red pushed the hammer back in place and put the gun back in his waistband, then he pointed out the doorway for the man to leave. The African man quickly ran out the door with his arms over his head, looking back periodically to make sure Red didn't follow..

Red couldn't help but laugh at the man as he walked out and away from the group of now silent men.

OOOOOO

He walked back in their hut to find Liz sitting up with a steaming cup in her hand and Dembe leaning against the wall with a smile on his face. Red walked over to her and sat next to her with a groan, then leaned over and kissed her, tasting the tribe's version of coffee on her lips.

He took the cup from her and took a small sip, then almost gagged at the bitter taste. "How can you drink this sludge?"

She laughed and patted his thigh. "It's definitely an acquired taste."

He nodded with a disgusted look on his face then looked at Dembe. "I think we should leave within the next hour or two."

He stood up. "I will make the necessary preparations."

Red nodded his thanks and watched as his friend disappeared from the doorway.

He turned to her and smiled. "How are you feeling?"

She took another sip of her drink. "Much better. I hardly remember even feeling sick."

He smiled and reached over to squeeze her bare foot. "Wonderful."

They sat in companionable silence until Dembe walked back through the doorway looking angry.

"The chief will not let us leave until you two participate in the marriage ceremony."

Liz choked on her drink and began to cough. Red reached over and patted her back until she stopped a few seconds later. "Marriage ceremony?" Liz rasped out.

Dembe nodded. "They are threatening to kill Kevin if you do not comply."

Red looked at Liz and shrugged. "We plan on marrying eventually." He reached over and toyed with the ring on her left hand. "And it's not like it will be recognized by any modern society."

She sighed and looked at Dembe. "Tell them we'll do it, but we're leaving immediately after it's finished."

Dembe nodded and disappeared once again. Liz was lost in her own thoughts, so Red took her drink from her hands and set it down next to him, then wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. "Are you sure you're ok with this, Lizzie?"

She nodded and pressed closer to him. "I don't see that we have much choice, but even so, I already wanted to marry you."

He smiled and wrapped his other arm around her as they waited for Dembe to return.

OOOOOO

Three hours later found them facing the chief who was reciting the tribe's traditional marriage vows. The men had forced Red dress like them, so all he wore was a loin cloth and a necklace. They had also insisted that he bathe and shave. Soon after they painted his body with their warrior paint; the entire thing had been uncomfortable to say the least, but Red had allowed them to do whatever as long as he didn't have to be completely naked; but he did feel funny with his ass out for everyone to see.

As soon as Liz saw him, she had put her hands over her mouth to stifle her laughter. He'd just sighed and took in her own appearance. Much to his disappointment, she wasn't nude, and was in fact covered from head to toe in what looked like a hand-woven potato sack so all he could see was her eyes.

The chief had called them forward, and now here they were, going on twenty minutes of chants and vows that neither of them understood. For all they knew, they were marrying a monkey.

The chief finally looked at him and asked him a question. He had no idea what was said, but he nodded like he understood. The old man looked satisfied and asked Liz the same question. She nodded resolutely, then the chief was handed a wool ribbon by a covered woman. He took her left hand and his right and began to wrap the ribbon around both of them so that their hands were bound together. The symbolism was actually quite beautiful.

Soon after, the chief addressed everyone loudly with his arms outstretched. He smiled widely and said something else, then the entire tribe cheered and threw wildflowers up in the air. He looked over to see Liz smiling at him with tears in her eyes. He leaned down, pulled her face cover down slightly, and kissed her softly, then pulled back and smiled at her. "I love you, sweetheart."

She reached up with her free hand and wiped her eyes. "I love you too, Raymond."

He huffed a laugh. "Now it's Raymond, huh?"

She shrugged. "Well it seemed kind of important to call you by your given name since we're married and all," she said sarcastically.

He swallowed back the emotion closing up his throat and wrapped her in a one-armed hug.

They were interrupted by Dembe clapping him on the shoulder. "Congratulations, brother."

Red nodded his thanks, then the tribe began forming a line to congratulate them one by one.

An hour later, the festivities began to die down as people returned to their huts for their daily chores. Kevin approached them with a smile. "I'm happy for you guys. When they threatened to kill me, I wasn't sure I would be here to see it."

Liz stepped forward and pulled him into an awkward hug. The doctor patted her on the back uncomfortably as Liz spoke. "I just wanted to thank you for everything you've done for me. I wouldn't be here if not for you."

"You're welcome, Liz. I'm just happy that the tribe was still here."

Liz stepped back and blinked back her tears. "Me too," she whispered.

"I spoke with the chief, and he informed me that it's now ok for us to leave," Dembe said as he took a step back.

Red nodded. "Good. I don't think I can go another day without running water. We'll be back." He turned and pulled Liz after him towards their hut to gather their few belongings.

On their way they passed by the man who had tried to claim Liz. As soon as he saw Red, he cowered against a hut and closed his eyes tightly.

Red just smiled and shook his head, then quickened his pace so Liz wouldn't ask why the man had reacted like that.

They reached their tiny hut for the last time and walked in together. As soon as they were inside, Liz wrapped her free hand around his neck and pulled him down to kiss her.

Her mouth was insistent and hot on his as she moved her hand from his neck down to squeeze his bare ass. "Mmm," she mumbled. "I'm liking this piece of cloth." She began to move her hand around his thigh and stopped at the edge of the cloth. "Makes for easy access," she said as she moved her fingers under the cloth.

As her fingers teased over his inner thigh, Dembe walked in the room. "Are you ready to go?"

Luckily Red's back was to the door so he couldn't see what was going on. Red sighed quietly and pulled Liz's lower body flush with his so she could feel how much he wanted her. She hooked her chin over his shoulder and smiled at Dembe. "Yes, let's get out of here."

Dembe nodded. "Kevin and I will be waiting by the entrance." Liz smiled and watched him walk away, then she turned her face into Red's neck and placed open mouthed kisses against his flushed skin.

"Lizzie," Red groaned as her fingers began wandering again.

She smiled against his skin and pulled back. "Come on, let's go. The sooner we're home, the sooner we can consummate our marriage," she said teasingly.

They unwrapped the ribbon holding their hands together, then dressed into their clothes and left the hut minutes later.

As they walked through the village one last time, Adzo stopped them and pulled Liz into a hug. Liz hugged her back tightly and pushed back the tears that threatened once again. This woman was the reason she was here, she wished there was another way to thank her.

Almost as soon as the hug started, it ended as the woman pulled back and walked away without a backward glance.

Red slipped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close as they walked the rest of the way to meet Dembe and Kevin.

OOOOOO

Two hours later they were in Red's jet flying over the Atlantic Ocean. She felt like she was sitting in the lap of luxury after living like a tribal person for the last few days; she would never take technology for granted again.

She sat next to Red, as Dembe and Kevin sat together a few rows back watching "The Three Stooges".

She smiled as she listened to their laughter; they had really bonded during the last few days.

Red pulled her from her thoughts by taking her hand and squeezing lightly. She looked at him and sighed. "I need to call Ressler."

He nodded and picked up the satellite phone next to him and handed it to her.

She let go of his hand reluctantly and dialed Ressler's cell. He picked up on the third ring."

"Ressler."

"Hey, Ress," she said cheerfully.

"Liz! It's good to hear your voice."

She smiled. "It's good to be able to speak."

She could clearly hear his sigh of relief. "Where are you guys?"

Liz shrugged even though he couldn't see it. "Somewhere over the Atlantic heading home. How's the case going with The Mailman?"

"He's dead. He made a mistake and killed himself with his own toxins. Serves him right."

Liz laughed quietly and leaned her head on Red's shoulder. "Great news. At least no one else is going to be hurt. Was anyone else infected by the letter I touched?"

"No. It was still there when we checked your office. Seems the secretary forgot to file your paperwork. A mistake that saved a lot of lives."

"Good, great news. Anything else I should know?" She reached over and threaded her fingers through Red's. She was glad that she could do that freely now.

"No, that's it. I'll let Cooper know what's going on...And Liz? I'm really glad you're ok."

She smiled. "Me too, Don. Me too. Talk to you soon." She hung up the phone and threw it on the seat next to her, then moved closer to Red. It seemed like she couldn't stop touching him, and she didn't want to either.

He kissed her head. "Everything ok?"

She nodded. "The Mailman is dead. Seems he wasn't as smart as he thought."

He huffed a laughed. "That seems to be the running theme with criminals these days."

They were silent for a few moments until Liz ran her free hand across his upper thigh and ghosted it over his groin. "Lizzie, we have an audience."

She smiled and continued to tease him until she felt him respond. "They aren't paying any attention, and they have headphones on. Ever wanted to be part of the Mile High Club?" Before he could respond, she stood up then pulled him up and tugged him along after her.

As they consummated their "marriage" in the large airplane bathroom, she couldn't help but worry what was to come for them in the future. They would still have to keep their relationship a secret, but it was worth it to her. He meant more to her than she ever thought possible, and she knew he felt the same.

And it caused her to smile against his bare shoulder as she thought about how their relationship had begun; by asking him to pretend to be her fiancé.

They had come a long way since then, and she couldn't wait to see what happened in the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *cue Looney Tunes theme* Tha-th-th-that's all folks. I've had so much fun writing this fic. Thank you all so much for your support the last five months. It means everything to me. You guys truly are the absolute best. Thanks for reading! I would love to hear what you think. :)

**Author's Note:**

> So is this something you guys want to see more of? Red and Liz pretending to be engaged at a wedding..*rubs hands together in hopeful anticipation* Please let me know if you want me to continue, and let me know what you think of this chapter. Feedback is important. Thanks for reading and have a great day. :)


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